Akuma no Houfuku
by Annie-chan
Summary: Status: Complete. Sequel to Tenshi no Awaremi. Legato reborn is growing into a fine young man, thanks to a certain angel's guidance, but it seems someone wants to ruin that.
1. Peaceful Times

**Author's Notes:**  Trillions Tomo-chan suggested I write a sequel to _Tenshi no Awaremi_ quite a while ago, and I'm finally getting around to writing it.  Like _TnA_, this is a crossover between _Trigun_ and _X_, taking place in the _Trigun_ universe.  I don't know how many or who survive in the _X_ manga (the manga's not even finished), so I won't mention who survived the war between the Sky Dragons and Land Dragons.  If I'm confusing you, I'm sorry.  I'll try not to leave anything unexplained in the story, if explanations are needed.  Okay?  Okay.

I highly suggest you read _TnA_ first, unless you really want to be confused.  Also, _Trigun_ and _X_ do not belong to me, but to Nightow Yasuhiro and CLAMP, respectively.

"Akuma no hôfuku" means "demon's revenge."

Akuma no Hôfuku By Annie-chan Chapter One:  Peaceful Times 

Knives walked under the light of the suns setting behind him, the town of Avril taking up most of the horizon.  He and his brother—who was walking a ways behind him—hadn't been here in a little over seven years, and their random travels had brought them this way again.  It was a large town, but not large enough to be called a city.  It had a reputation for being a clean town, the crime rate being relatively low, and the population being on the better-off side.  The town wasn't exactly rich, but it wasn't poor, either.  It could afford to raise a decent police force, which kept a lot of the criminals out.

_This is where I met Legato reborn_, Knives thought a bit pensively.  _I wonder if we'll run into him again.  But, for all I know, he may not even live in this town anymore.  He could have moved for any number of reasons._

"Hey, Knives!" he heard his brother call from about fifty paces behind him.  "Let's take a break, okay?"

Knives stopped and turned around.  "We're almost into town!  Why stop now?"

"But, I'm tired, Knives!" Vash whined.  "You've been walking fast all day, and it's all I can do to keep you in sight!"

_You're just as fit as me, Vash_, Knives thought, a little fed up with the whining, which he had gotten almost all day.  _And, you're not the one carrying our supplies._  He adjusted the strap of the supply bag on his shoulder.

"Can't we just rest a few minutes by that big rock?" Vash asked, pointing toward the town as he continued to near his brother.

There was indeed a large boulder, about as twice as tall as them, about twenty paces away from Knives toward the town.  Knives sighed, signaled agreement, and walked toward the boulder.  He was so caught up in his thoughts about the little eleven-year-old he met in this town seven years ago, that he barely noticed the sounds of someone standing up on the far side of the boulder, and didn't actually realize there was someone there until that someone had rounded the boulder and walked right into him, dropping the small pouch they had been carrying.

"Oh!  I'm sorry!" the person said apologetically.  "I didn't know you were there!"

"No problem," Knives replied.  "I wasn't exactly looking where I was going, either."  He was going to continue, but stopped dead when his brain registered the face he was looking into.  Blue-black hair, hazel-brown eyes…a near-perfect resemblance to—

"Hey, everything okay?" Vash, who had sped up when he saw the two-person collision, asked.  He saw the young man in front of his brother and shot Knives a look, a definite question in his eyes.

Knives nodded minutely, understanding perfectly what Vash was asking him.

"Um…excuse me, Sir?" the young man said, looking quizzically at Knives.  "Have I met you somewhere before?"  He then looked at Vash.  "Or maybe it was you.  You two look so much alike."

"I'm sorry," Knives said.  "I should have introduced us.  My name is Knives, and this is my twin, Vash.  I do believe you and I did meet each other in the center square of this town several years back, when you were a boy.  Eh…'Mick,' was it?"

The young man grinned.  "Hey, good memory!  But, I don't go by that anymore.  I got sick of the other kids teasing me about that name.  My parents called me that, because they thought it was cute, but all the kids at school kept calling me 'Mickey.'  I stopped going by that around thirteen years old."  He made a bit of a face, causing Knives and Vash to chuckle at the thought of being called "Mickey."  "'Mick' was short for 'Michael,' my middle name," the young man continued.  "My first name is Alexander, and I go by 'Lex' now."

"Well, then," Vash said, speaking up for the first time since he recognized Lex as the rebirth of someone he had some problems with several years ago, "nice to meet you, Lex."

"Pleasure's all mine," Lex replied, reaching down to the ground and picking up the pouch he had dropped, replacing the few small objects that had spilled out back in.

"Seeds," Knives said, recognizing the small, roundish objects.

"Yeah!" Lex said, his eyes lighting up.  "I use these flower seeds to practice on."

"Practice what?" Vash inquired.

"Come over here," Lex said, motioning them to come over to another side of the boulder.  They followed him, and their eyes widened a bit as a medium-sized patch of brightly colored flowers came into their view.  Knives set the supply bag down, not wanting to be bothered with it at the moment.

"Wow," Vash said under his breath.  "How do you get them to grow in the bare sand like that?"

"Well," Lex said, crouching down and scratching a shallow pit in the sand.  "I kinda reach down with my mind and draw water and nutrients up from the underground water supply.  There's a water shelf under almost every part of this planet, it's just that a lot of it is too deep to dig down to for a well.  But, once I tap into it for a patch of flowers like this, the link stays open, apparently indefinitely.  I haven't had a single one of my flowers die from dehydration or malnutrition.  I don't even have to keep them shaded when the suns are shining on them.  It's really weird."  He looked up to the twins, grinning a little self-consciously.  "It seems I have some kind of psychic power.  I can't really remember exactly when I discovered it, and nobody's taught me how to use it.  I just practice on my own, and it's not that hard to figure out what I want to do.  I hope to get good enough to work on things like trees and bushes, not just flowers."  He looked down to where he had just dropped and covered up about five seeds.  "I bet I sound crazy, don't I?  Jabbering on about psychic powers and all…"

"Oh, no," Knives replied.  "There's nothing wrong with that.  It's a very special talent you have there."  Vash nodded beside them.

Lex looked up to them, gratefulness in his eyes.  "Thanks," he said, happy someone could accept him so readily.  All his friends, even his best friend and girlfriend, had had to get used to his unique skill before they really got close to him.  "Now, watch this."  He placed his had lightly on the ground, just next to the patch of sand he had replaced over the seeds.  He closed his eyes and concentrated, and the sand over the seeds began glowing a barely visible, light-blue light.  "Grow," Lex breathed.  No sooner had he said that, five thin green stems emerged from the sand.  The twins watched, fascinated, as the stems grew, sprouted leaves, then flower buds, and finally bloomed right before their eyes.

Lex opened his eyes and sighed.  "I used to have to sweat to do that, but it's coming pretty easy now.  I hope to move up to slightly larger plants pretty soon.  The flowers need some kind of pollinators to ensure another generation, and the local insect population seem to be landing on the flowers quite a bit." As he spoke, Vash and Knives saw several insects come and go from the flower patch.  "Maybe they find the nectar a treat after their usual diet of sand fleas," Lex continued.  "I won't know if another generation will grow, or if I'll have to replant.  I won't find that out for a while, I imagine."

Vash knelt down to the flowers, placing a hand on Lex's shoulder.  "This is quite a skill you have, Lex.  Very valuable to the health of this planet, if you develop it."

"Yes," Lex said, looking down at his creation and smiling a bit.  "I once read a very old legend from Earth about a man named John Chapman, nicknamed Johnny Appleseed.  He traveled on foot around a huge country called 'America,' planting apple trees wherever he went."  He suddenly looked back up to the twins, an eager gleam in his eye.  "I want to be Gunsmoke's Johnny Appleseed!  I want to go from town to town, planting my flowers and trees for the people, only for the sake of planting them!  I want to make this planet green, make it a better place for humans to live!  That's my only goal in life!  I don't care if I have to live a poor life like Johnny!  It'll all be worth it if I succeed in my one true wish!"

Knives smiled down at the young human.  He was so different from the hateful, withdrawn, self-destructive man Legato had been at eighteen.  Knives' heart ached at how fortunate the change was.  "You have a very noble desire within you, Lex," he said.  "I wish you the best of luck."

Lex smiled up at the older twin.  "Thank you," he said sincerely.  "That means so much to me."  He stood up and brushed himself off.  "Hey!  Why don't you two stay at my place?  At least for tonight if you have to move on.  My parents always like having guests, and I can introduce you to my girlfriend."

The brothers politely accepted the offer, and followed the spirited young man to his home on the edge of Avril.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Heaven.

A smallish, dark-haired angel lay on his stomach in the grass, basking in the warm sun in the middle of a lush meadow, his snow-white wings lying to either side of him.  Near him, the chirping of happy birds could be heard, and he turned to watch the blonde angel that knelt on the grass not far from him.  Kotori, his one true love.

He smiled as he watched her play with the flock of small birds.  Her name, Kotori, meant "small bird."  The image Kamui was presented with couldn't have been more fitting.

Many centuries ago, long before the humans even thought about leaving Earth behind for good, they had grown up together in the city of Tokyo until Kamui had to move away with his mother to Okinawa.  And, not long after they had finally been reunited in 1999, she had been brutally murdered by her own brother, right before his eyes.  That, along with so many other tragedies caused by the war between the Sky Dragons and Land Dragons, had driven him away from the company of other people.  He had almost become a hermit, living on the edge of society.  Instead of human contact, which he got as little of as possible, he chose companionship in animals, cats being his favorite.  They never questioned him, merely loved him for the care he gave them.  The children in the area where he lived knew him as "that animal guy."  He didn't mind, as long as they didn't bother him or his animals.

He had stayed a virgin his entire life, never marrying, never even dating.  It just didn't feel right to even think about spending his life with anyone but Kotori.  He had died at the age of fifty-nine.  Many people said it was from loneliness.  When he had arrived in Heaven and found her in his arms again, all either of them could do for several minutes was weep for joy at their reunion.  They both had their first experience of physical love soon after, and had been each other's exclusive love partners ever since.

He sighed, sitting up.  He was one of the smallest angels in God's service.  He didn't know if he had some defect in his growth hormone, or if despair stunted his growth, or what.  All he knew is he never grew much taller than five-foot-four.  And, since a soul looks like the body does/did/would have soon after it's full-grown, Kamui was still only about five-foot-four.  He still got teased about it by his friends, especially Sorata and Yuzuriha.  It was, of course, Yuzuriha who first greeted him in 1999 with, "Second shortest in the group!  Do they stick you in front for the class picture?"  That had set Sorata literally rolling on the floor.

He closed his eyes and turned his attention to his mortal charge.  Alexander Michael O'Sé was about eighteen now, and growing up beautifully.  He was such a kind-hearted young man, always giving his all to help others, never putting himself before others.  It was a welcome change from the misguided, mentally ill youth he had been in his previous life.  Lex was becoming Kamui's pride and joy.  He was almost like a son to him.

He had a very strong resemblance to Legato Bluesummers.  Kamui had deliberately chosen an unborn baby to deliver the soul into whose genetics would make him look much like he did in his previous life.  His soul would always look like he did in his first life, and there was really no reason for him to be confused with why he looked the way he did when he eventually died.

Kamui grinned as he looked in on Lex's current activities.  He was becoming quite the gardener, and would soon be ready to try his skills on small trees.  It had been Kamui who had been silently coaching Lex in learning his powers, doing it in such a way that the boy thought he was learning on his own.  Indeed, half of what he knew was never taught to him by Kamui.  He was a very intelligent man, and found many things out for himself.

_Good_, Kamui thought as Lex invited Vash and Knives to his home.  _It looks like he'll have a healthy relationship with both of them this time around._

"Oh, Kamui-chan," a singsong voice said into his ear, and he felt two slender arms wrap around his shoulders.  Kotori was hugging him from behind.  "Remember that we promised Yuzu-chan and the others we'd come to the for-the-fun-of-it party Sorata-san thought up for today."

"All right, all right," Kamui said, standing up and feigning slight annoyance.  "I'm coming, I'm coming."

Kotori giggled and grabbed his hand, pulling her soul mate along behind her as she ran off toward the destined party spot.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hell.

Unknown to, and very unfortunate for, all involved, another supernatural being had its eyes on a certain youth on the edge of a town known as Avril.  It had been waiting for years for him to meet up again with that particular pair of twins, and now, all its patience seemed to be paying off.

The demon grinned a hideous grin, bounding off gleefully to report to the Dark Prince the good news.

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  I really don't have much to say for this chapter, only that I wanna thank Trillions Tomo-chan for giving me the idea for a sequel to _TnA_, and Kira Douji for urging me to finally write this.  Arigatô, you two!  I'm not sure how long this story will be, so don't ask.  Just let me know what you think of it either in a review or at mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!  Oh, and I was guessing in the dark about Kamui's height.  I really don't know how tall he's supposed to be, only that he's really a very short young man.


	2. Breaking the Peace

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Akuma no Hôfuku By Annie-chan Chapter Two:  Breaking the Peace 

Vash yawned and stretched.  He had been sleeping curled up in a padded armchair, and was now in the processes of waking up.  He blinked as the sunlight streaming in the front window invaded his sleep-bleary eyes.  He looked around the room.  Ah, yes, they were in Lex's front room.  Knives was half-lying, half-sitting, on one end of a loveseat on the other side of the coffee table in the middle of the room, still asleep.  Lex, in a similar state of unconsciousness, was lying on the longer, four-person couch that sat at right angles to the armchair and the loveseat.  His girlfriend, Calpernia, was squeezed onto the couch next to him, her head on his chest, his arm holding her securely.  A quick run over to her parents' house last night was all she needed to do to stay over here all night.  Vash wondered just how serious their relationship was, and if she stayed the night like this often.

_None of my business, really_, he thought to himself, getting up and stretching fully.  The four had hit it off quite well, their lively conversation traveling far into the night, until they simply fell asleep on the furniture, not bothering to go to bed.  Lex's parents had had to come down once and ask them to be quiet, so they could get some sleep.  Vash had seen Lex blush slightly and apologize, sounding sincere.  Once again, Vash wondered at how different he was from his previous life.

He figured that was on Knives' mind as well.  The older twin had kept Legato under his command for many years, and by the time he had died, Legato had been thoroughly broken and perfectly obedient, practically worshipping his Master like a god.  Vash had felt sick as the mentally disturbed young man all but begged him to kill him, kneeling at his feet, purposely leaving himself wide open.

Last night, Knives was not in the conversation nearly as much as Vash, Lex, or Cal.  Yes, he spoke often enough, but he seemed almost aloof at times.  More than once, Vash had seen his brother staring at Lex out of the corner of his eyes, a ghost of regret shining in them that wouldn't have been noticeable if Vash hadn't had a suspicion it would be there.  Legato had suffered much by his hands, each time crawling back again, swearing allegiance and undying loyalty to the "perfect" being abusing him so.  His first life was completely wasted.  If only he didn't need a second chance, and had been this content the first time around…

Vash realized Knives was moving.  His twin sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.  He brushed his fingers through his hair, straightening it.  Being so short, it really didn't need much more brushing than that.

"Morning, huh?" Knives said after a yawn.  "Last night sure went fast."

"Yeah," Vash agreed.  "Hey, Knives?  Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

"Sure," Knives complied, standing up and stretching.  Vash could hear his brother's elbows and knees pop.  They had always done that, for as far back as Vash could remember.  "Let's talk in the kitchen, over there, so we don't wake them."  Knives motioned toward Lex and Cal.

The twins walked into the kitchen, turning on the light so they could see each other.  They began speaking in low tones, not wishing to disturb anyone else in the house.

Meanwhile, out on the couch, Lex stirred slightly, then opened his eyes.  He sat up slightly, making Cal start to wake up.  He saw Vash and Knives were not in the room, and was about to call out to see if they were even still in the house, when he heard their voices coming from just inside the kitchen.  They were so soft, he couldn't make out what they were saying.  Instead of trying to eavesdrop, he looked down and smiled at Cal, whose dark-blue eyes were looking into his hazel-brown eyes with love.  She reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

"Good morning, Alexander Michael," she said when she pulled away.

"Good morning, Calpernia Eliza," he answered back, using her first and middle names as she had used his.  Neither liked being called by their first and middle names, and they always teased each other by doing it.  He was sitting straight up now, Cal sitting on his lap, her arms around his neck.  "Did you sleep well?"

"Of course, I did," she replied, grinning at him.  "Any girl would if she was in the arms of a guy like you."

Lex smiled at her good-naturedly.  "You're just being nice, Cal," he said.  "I'm not exactly cream of the crop."

Cal stared at him a moment.  The man was eighteen years old, and he seemed to have no idea of his own attractiveness?  Odd…

"And, you're just being modest," she replied.  "Not only do you completely overlook your good looks, but you don't seem to be aware of the good things that make you you.  I've never met a man so kind-hearted and selfless."  She snuggled up tight, laying her head on his shoulder.  "You really make me feel loved and worth something."

"I do love you, Cal," he said softly, smiling at her and kissing her forehead.  His hand came up to gently stroke her hair.  He had known for at least a year he wanted to marry this girl.  The problem was, he just never got up the guts to ask her.  Plus, he wasn't sure if he should.  He planned on leading a nomadic lifestyle in order to follow his dream of making Gunsmoke a greener place, and he wasn't sure if she'd like that kind of life.

"And, I love you," she said, almost as softly.

"Aw, this is sweet."

Lex's eyes widened considerably as he whirled around, his arms still around Cal.  He blushed bright red and turned away almost immediately.  Vash was standing in the door to the kitchen, grinning at them.  That grin disappeared as a hand clamped down on his shoulder and shoved him hard out into the front room, almost knocking him over.  Knives walked out of the kitchen a second later.

"Be nice, Vash, and don't tease," Knives said, though he, too, had a slight smile on his face.

Vash shot him a quick glare, then turned to Lex.  "Hey, Lex, Knives and I have a proposition for you."

"Okay, then," Lex said, sounding curious.  "Shoot."

"Well, you seemed so determined to follow your dream of making this planet a better place to live," Vash began.  "We thought that, since we have mental abilities of our own…"

"We want to help you reach your goal," Knives continued.  "Three people would be able to do it a lot better than just one, right?"

"Really?!" Lex exclaimed.  "Are you guys serious?!"  He jumped up from the couch, almost knocking Cal off.  "Oh, thank you!  You don't know how much that means to me!"  His joyful expression changed as a sudden growl came from his stomach.  He put his hand on his abdomen, looking a little embarrassed.  "But, first, I need to eat.  I bet you all do, too."  He walked into the kitchen.  "Hey, let me show you three what we got here, then I'll fix what you guys want."  He opened the refrigerator and frowned.  "Crap…looks like we're out of milk.  I'll run to the store to get some."  He straightened up, closed the fridge door, checked to see if his wallet was on him, then went out the front door.  "I'll be back in a minute!  I'm gonna take a quick look at my flowers, too."

"Wow," Cal said a few minutes after her boyfriend went out the door.  "You guys just promised to help him with his only dream.  He must love you guys, now."

"Yes, I quite imagine," Knives replied, sitting back down on the loveseat.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lex knelt down to his flowers.  Cal called them his little babies.  He guessed she was right.  He tended to them with the same loving care one would with his children.  He got many odd looks for it, but he didn't care.

"Soon, there will be many more like you gracing this planet, I hope," he said to them, his voice soothing, as if singing them a lullaby.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch," a rough, ugly voice said from on top of the huge boulder.  Lex jerked his head up and gasped.  He began to back away.  This…thing…on the rock was hideous.  It was roughly humanoid, had dull gray skin, pointed ears, beady eyes, and long sharp claws.  When it spoke, Lex could discern sharply pointed teeth.  Whatever it was, it wasn't human.

"Wh-what are you?!" he stammered.  He cried out in shock as the thing jumped down from the rock to land in front of him, thankfully not landing on the flowers.  "What do you want with me?"  He could barely move, a sudden terror overcoming him.  The creature reached out and caught him by the neck, pulling him closer, to his great dismay.

"Just hold still," it hissed, grinning foully at him.  It suddenly grabbed his face, its hand big enough to cover almost his entire face.  Reflexively, Lex began to struggle, trying to get free of his attacker, which only earned him a tightening of the hand around his throat, making it difficult to breath.

Lex hadn't any more time to think or struggle when something snapped almost audibly in his head, and he felt utterly alone.  He had never before been aware of a second party in there with him, but there was now a sudden void where it had been.  It had been a warm presence, and now, all he felt was cold emptiness around him.  His spirit shivered at the lack of contact.

"Wh-wha-what h-have you d-done to m-m-me?!" he stuttered, his body trembling almost as violently as his soul as the thing let him go.  He brought his hands up to his face, trying frantically to reestablish the link to his invisible guide.  He wanted the comforting presence back badly…very badly.

Suddenly, a heavy weight slammed into him, and he was flat on his back a second later.  He struggled weakly as the thing pinned him down with its substantial weight, pressing him down into the sand.  He was helpless.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kamui grinned turned his face up to the bright sunshine as he walked.  The little Dragon get-together yesterday had left him in a very good mood, and he didn't plan on letting anything ruin that today.

He didn't have any duties today, unless an emergency came up, so he decided to go and sit at the edge of a large water fountain not too far away.  The sound of the water had always had a soothing quality, and he liked to go there to think.  He knew all the other Dragons and Dreamseers went there for peace and quiet, and wondered if anyone would be there.

"Kamui-san," a familiar voice said when he got there, "good to see you."

Kamui looked down and saw the pale form of Kakyô sitting on the grass by the fountain's base, his wings folded down against his back in such a way that they didn't add much to his outline.  The once-comatose Dragon-Dreamseer had a habit of wearing only light colors, and he was almost hard to see against the white stones of the fountain.  "Kakyô, you ought to wear darker colors sometimes.  I could have stepped on you before I saw you."  He looked up and acknowledged Fûma's darker form halfway around the fountain base as he sat down next to Kakyô.

Kakyô looked into the water, ignoring Kamui's slight chiding.  "You look rather cheerful this morning, Kamui-san," he said, a slight smile on his face.  "Has something good happened?"

"Lex," Kamui answered, smiling back.  "He's met up with Vash and Knives again, and they seem to have hit if off well.  I'm glad he can have a good relationship with them this time around.  His life as Legato kept him from having a good relationship with anybody."

"Yes, it did," Kakyô replied.  "There is also Calpernia.  Alexander seems to love her very much."

"Mmhmm," Kamui sighed, grinning.  "I wonder how long it's gonna take him to ask her to marry him.  Those two make such a cute cou—"  He suddenly broke off and gasped, his eyes widening considerably, the pupils shrinking down to pinpoints.

"Kamui-san?" Kakyô said, sitting up straight.  His face was filled with concern.

"Kamui, what happened?" Fûma, who had come over at the first sign of his Twin Star's distress, asked.  His voice was all business.  Whatever had happened was bad.

"L-Lex," Kamui whispered, a slight stammer in his voice.  "I-I can't feel him anymore…the link between us has been severed."  A distinct feeling of dread was welling up inside of him, and he searched almost frantically for his human charge.  If he couldn't reestablish the link, he could at least see what was happening.

What he found made his blood run cold.

"Those…those bastards…" he stuttered as he stood up shakily, rage filling his voice and eyes.  "_Those demon bastards!  They got to him!_"  Kakyô and Fûma had fallen back, stunned by Kamui's sudden and violent change of mood.

_Kamui!_ a voice echoed in his head.

Fûma's mental voice went unnoticed as he disappeared into the space between Heaven and the Material Plane.  He didn't care that God hadn't given him permission to go to the Material Plane.  He didn't care that he ran a risk of punishment, perhaps severe punishment.  He didn't care that he felt his Twin Star's presence not far away, following him closely.  All he wanted was to get his hands on that demon that dared to lay hold of Lex.  _His_ Lex.  _His_ near-son.

"_You!_" he shrieked as he almost exploded out into the Material Plane, his Sacred Sword suddenly in his hands, ready for blood.  He saw Lex lying unconscious in the sand under the demon, the hideous creature just standing up.  He seemed unharmed on the outside, but anything could have been done on the inside…

The demon turned and grinned at him, making no attempt to get away.  Kamui drove the blade of the sword into its belly, burying it up to the hilt, putting all his strength behind it.

Nothing happened.  Kamui looked up into the demon's face, his eyes widening in realization.  This demon was higher on the demon hierarchy than Kamui and Fûma were on the angel hierarchy.  He quickly began to backtrack, pulling his sword out.  He needed more strategy to fight one of Satan's most powerful servants.  His rage had blinded him from realizing it from the demon's now-unmistakable evil aura.

Just as Kamui pulled his sword completely away, the demon suddenly lunged toward him, grabbing at his chest, the claws sinking in.  Kamui hadn't time to cry out from that pain when a pain many times worse suddenly exploded in his entire body.  He fell back, shrieking in agony as the black power surged through him, enveloping him in a world of hurt.

"Kamui!" Fûma's cried as he emerged in the Material Plane and saw his best friend on the ground, mindless with agony.  His feet hit the ground, and he was about to attack, when the demon suddenly disappeared, leaving him with an unconscious Lex and a howling Kamui.  _I'm sorry, Lex_, he thought as he gathered his small companion into his arms, _but Kamui needs healing_.  He quickly teleported back to Heaven, appearing in God's throne room, falling to his knees in front of the Lord.  Several angels in the room fell back in surprise.  Kamui was clutching at Fûma's clothing, his screams muffled against Fûma's chest, his wings stiff as boards out behind him.  Tendrils of black power were crawling over his skin.  Fûma looked up the Lord, his eyes pleading.  "My Lord…please, help him."

The Lord stood up from His throne and went over to the Twin Stars.  He reached down to Kamui and placed His hand on the suffering angel's head.  Immediately, Kamui calmed down, the screaming stopping as the pain disappeared.  He relaxed almost completely in Fûma's grasp.

"Thank you, Lord," Fûma whispered, squeezing Kamui tightly.  He was almost tearful in his relief.

Kamui suddenly lifted his head, realized where he was, and jumped up from Fûma's arms.  He almost fell back down as a wave of dizziness hit him.  He appeared to have a hard time holding his wings straight, and their weight seemed to make it difficult for him to stand.  "My Lord!  Lex has been—"

"Attacked by one of Satan's most powerful demons," the Lord replied.  "Yes, I know."

"Please!" Kamui cried.  "I need to—"

"No," the Lord interrupted.  "You may _not_ go down right now and try to fix it.  You are too weak from that attack, and are likely to get yourself hurt even more.  You must rest first, and then you may go, accompanied by your Twin Star.  That demon is too powerful for either of you by yourselves, and all of My more powerful angels are indisposed at the moment."

"B-but…My Lord…" Kamui stuttered, despair taking him over.

"I am sorry, Kamui," the Lord replied.  "But, I do not want one of My angels to be completely incapacitated because he had not the sense to rest when he needed to.  Fûma, take him someplace he can rest.  Now, I have business to attend to."  He sat back down on His throne.

"Yes, Lord," Fûma said, and teleported easily out of the throne room.  They reappeared in Kamui and Kotori's bedroom, startling his younger sister by their sudden appearance.

"Kamui-chan!" she cried, jumping off the bed where she had been sitting reading.  "What happened?!"

Kamui said nothing.  He merely dropped to the floor, his face in his hands, and cried.

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  This chapter became a little longer than I expected.  Still, I'm happy with it.  Are you all?  Please let me know.  Let me know either in a review or at mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!  Oh, and any guesses on what exactly happened to Lex?  I wanna know what you guys think before I write that chapter (I've decided what will happen, but I wanna know if I made it obvious or not).  Please put your guesses either in a review or an email!


	3. Damage Assessed

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Akuma no Hôfuku By Annie-chan Chapter Three:  Damage Assessed 

"Do you think he will be all right?"

Knives turned from the bedside and looked into Cal's worried face.  He was kneeling by Lex's bed, checking the young man's pulse rate.  It had been several hours since they had gotten him back here, and it was getting late in the day.  Lex's parents were at a business function too important to miss, despite their son's unexplained unconsciousness—they had learned about Lex much too late to cancel their expected attendance—and Vash was on a quick errand to the store to get the milk Lex had been going to get that morning.

"I really don't know, Cal," Knives replied.  "He doesn't seem to have any injuries, and his skin was flushed white as if from heatstroke.  I guess we just have to wait until he wakes up, unless he shows signs of getting worse."

"But," Cal said, "heatstroke just doesn't sit right with me."

"You're right," the Plant replied.  "He wasn't out there nearly long enough to get heatstroke, but the doctor found no suspicious injuries, and no infections or poisons in him.  I think it's something else, too, but we really don't have anything else to go on right now."

"But, what about those screams we and a bunch of other townspeople heard?"

Knives frowned slightly.  "I don't know, but whoever or whatever made them or caused him to make them is long gone.  The police are searching the area, but I don't think they've found anything yet.  We can only hope they either find something, or Lex can tell us something when he wakes up.  There's also the fact that there're no marks on him, besides a slight bruising around the neck, and I doubt those are the reasons he passed out or screamed like that, if the screams were his.  They're deep enough to suggest something was choking him at one point, but not enough to cause unconsciousness or any real pain."

"I know," Cal replied, sounding dejected.  She looked down to her boyfriend's still form.  "This is all just too confusing.  He goes out to check his flowers before going to the store, then everyone hears horrible screaming from his direction, then we find him fainted in the sand for no seeable reason."  She sniffed.  "I'm really worried about him."  Her eyes looked glassy from gathering tears.

Knives sighed.  Twenty years ago, even the thought of reassuring a human would have made him sick.  He put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.  "Don't worry, Cal.  I'm sure he'll be fine when he wakes up.  Maybe he just didn't eat very much yesterday, and hunger coupled with the heat make him pass out.  I really don't know."

"Maybe," she sniffed, not sounding like she believed it much.  Knives didn't really believe it at all, either.  "I'll be in the front room," she said, turning to leave.  "Get me as soon as he wakes up, okay?"

"Right," Knives said.  He watched her walk out the door and down the hall to the stairs that led down to the front room.  He turned back to Lex, and saw in the dim light that he was beginning to move.

"Hnnnn," he moaned slightly, turning his head to the left.  He raised his hands to his face, touching as if he was unsure if he was real, and slowly opened his eyes.  He saw Knives and pushed himself up into a sitting position, looking at the taller man intently.

Knives was about to turn and call Cal, when he stopped and stared back at Lex, an uneasy feeling starting deep in his insides.  Lex's longish hair had fallen into his face, shadowing his eyes, making him look eerily like his former self.  The hazel-brown eyes behind the bangs seemed almost to glow in the dark with an almost golden light.  The look disappeared when Lex brushed his hair out of his face, but Knives still felt like he was looking at a calmly psychotic misanthropist, not a young and inspired philanthropist.

"Um…are you all right?" Knives asked, trying to shake off the uneasiness.

"I don't know," the young man said, putting his head in his hands, bowing forward slightly.  The hair on the back of Knives' neck stood on end.  The voice was disoriented, but had a flat quality to it that was all too familiar to the older man.  Lex continued.  "I…I think I know where I am, and a part of me is saying it's a very familiar place to me, but…another part of me feels like I'm seeing it for the first time."  He looked back up to Knives.  "Could you…turn on the light…please?"

Knives reached over and flicked on the light switch.

Lex blinked a few times, rubbing at his eyes.  The sudden light made it hard for him to see, and he had to look down again for a few minutes.  When he looked up and beheld Knives clearly in the now-well-lighted room, his eyes widened, and he stopped moving completely.  He opened his lips and whispered something very, very softly.

"Master."

Knives froze.

"What…did you call me?" he asked, the uneasiness quickly growing into outright nervousness.  He felt chilled, though the room was perfectly warm.

Lex blinked and shook his head.  "I…I called you 'Master'…I don't really know why…I…"  He ran his hand though his hair and swallowed.  "Y-yes, I do…wait…do I?  I…"  He now looked very lost.  "Who are you?  What are you?  Why do I…I feel this urge to obey you…it…it's not very strong, but…it feels like it's…growing…b-but…I just met you…but, something feels like…I've known you for years…I…"  He was quickly getting very upset, as illustrated by the look on his face.  He put his head in his hands again, his fingers clenched in his hair.  "I'm so confused…it's like…I don't know…like there's another me in here beside me…"

"What is your name?" Knives asked quietly.  He felt like he had to know what the young man would answer.

"Leg—no.  Alexander O'Sé," he answered.  He didn't sound very sure of himself, and his voice was still rather disoriented sounding.

"Stay here," Knives said, using a tone that left no room for argument, and walked quickly out of the room, closing the door behind him.  He could hear his brother coming in the front door, and stopped at the top of the stairs.  "Vash, get up here as soon as you can.  There's something you need to know."  With that, he leaned against the wall in the hallway, waiting for his twin to come up.

"What is it?" Vash asked when he had ascended the staircase.  "You sounded worried."  He stopped when he saw the look in the older twin's eyes.

"I think I know what happened to Lex," Knives said.  Vash flinched.  He hadn't heard Knives use that low, deadly serious tone in nearly fifteen years.

"What happened?" Vash asked slowly, obviously hesitant to hear.

"Somehow, and I have no idea how, I think the memories of his life as Legato Bluesummers have somehow been unlocked.  I don't think memories are just stored just in the brain, but in the soul as well.  All the memories in his brain are those of Alexander O'Sé, but he has a whole lifetime of memories as Legato Bluesummers in his soul, and I think those have somehow become accessible to him."  His voice was clipped, and it was obvious he meant business.

Vash's eyes were wide, and he had a look of disbelief on his face.  "You…you can't be serious," he said at last.  "Is this a joke, Knives?!"  He sounded angry.

"He called me 'Master,' Vash!" Knives hissed through his teeth, hoping he wasn't loud enough for Cal to hear downstairs.

Vash almost visibly deflated, a look of horror crossing his face.  He brought his hand up to his face, shaking his head back and forth slowly.  "Oh, no…" he groaned, unwelcome memories of his encounters with the white-clad sadomasochist flashing through his mind.  He leaned up against the wall next to his brother.

Knives sighed, memories of his own running past his mind's eye.  "He woke up just a few minutes ago.  He seemed extremely disoriented, and when he saw me for the first time when I turned the light on, he was looking at me really oddly, and then the word 'master' slipped out.  He then was really confused…he was talking in fragments, trying to explain things to himself, but not getting anywhere.  He said it was as if there was another him inside there with him.  He probably has two sets of memories floating around in his head at the same time, and he has no idea of which set to go with.  I asked his name, and he began to answer with 'Legato,' then corrected himself and said 'Alexander.'  You came back right after that."

"What do you think this means?" Vash asked, sounding very tired, as well as considerably upset.

"I don't know," Knives replied, sighing and running a hand through his short blond hair.  "I don't think he'll stay disoriented and confused for long."  He hesitated, then continued slowly.  "I get the feeling that one of his personalities, for lack of a better term, will take dominance.  His inner thoughts, drives, and desires from both lives will probably go head-to-head, and the stronger personality will take over sooner or later.  I may be wrong, but I don't think so."

"So," Vash said slowly, softly, "which personality do you think will dominate?"

"Legato Bluesummers' willpower and internal drive was second to no human," Knives said quietly.  "I was the only one who could give him any kind of orders, and his all-consuming devotion to me will probably make it even easier for Legato to win over Lex."  He pointedly did not look into Vash's eyes.

Vash groaned again.  "You mean—"

"Yes," Knives answered.  Nothing more needed to be said.  He suddenly looked straight into Vash's eyes.  "Get Cal out of here.  Don't tell her what's happened.  Just say that Lex is fine and that she should go home.  Tell her he probably won't wake up until tomorrow anyway.  We have to keep her away, at least until we think of something to solve this.  I don't want to know what may happen if they meet while Lex is like this."

"She probably won't be too easy to send home, what with her worry over Lex," Vash said skeptically.  "And, what about Lex's parents?  They'll be home in about an hour.  They'll expect to come home to find we've taken good care of their son, even if he's still unconscious."

"We'll think about that when the time comes," Knives answered, pushing Vash over to the stairs.  "Just do _something_ to get Cal out of the house!  I doubt she'll not find out sooner or later, but we have to at least try to keep it from her!  Her knowing may be dangerous to her somehow!  I have no idea, but I don't want to risk it!"

Vash went down the stairs, wracking his brain for someway to peacefully get Cal on her way home.  Knives turned back toward the end of the hallway, toward Lex's bedroom.  He slowly walked back to the painted white door, and listened intently.  Nothing could be heard from the other side.  He reached out and slowly turned the doorknob, opening the door and stepping cautiously inside.

A young man sat on the edge of the bed, half facing away from the door.  His head was bowed, and his hair had fallen over his face again, obscuring one eye.  He stood up slowly as the door opened and turned his head to see the taller man enter.  His breath caught in his throat, and he took a step toward the Plant, his breathing shallow and hesitant, as if he feared he would break the reality of the situation if he breathed normally.

Knives watched him silently, waiting to see what the young man would do.  He had never before regretted being right more than he did at that moment as the young human suddenly dropped to his knees before him, bowing low.

"Master!" Legato Bluesummers nearly sobbed, tears spilling from his eyes and flowing down his cheeks.  "After all these years, after so long apart, I am Yours once again!"

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  Yes, I know…no _X_ characters in this chapter.  I'll probably make the whole of chapter four deal with them.  I've noticed a pattern of _Trigun_, _X_, _Trigun_, _X_, but I don't know if I'll keep that pattern.  I may, and I may not.  Anyway, was this chapter good?  I hope so.  Please let me know what you think of it either in a review or at mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!


	4. Departure From Heaven

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Akuma no Hôfuku By Annie-chan Chapter Four:  Departure From Heaven 

Kotori sighed softly, her eyes filled with sorrow, her hand gently stroking Kamui's fine black hair.  He lay diagonally on the bed in their room, tear marks streaking his almost feminine face.  For nearly three hours, he had lain there, motionless, staring at nothing, silent tears flowing from his eyes down to the bedclothes.  His deep-violet eyes had become rimmed red, and would most likely be puffy when he woke up again.  He had finally ceased crying and fallen asleep a few minutes ago.  It was getting on into late morning in Avril.

A soft knock sounded at the door, and her brother entered quietly.  "Has he finally calmed down?" he asked.

"Yes," Kotori answered, "just a few minutes ago."  She brushed away the tears lingering on his cheeks with a small handkerchief she took from her pocket.  His dark eyelashes remained wet, glittering in the soft lamplight.  "He shed so many tears for that boy…"  Her own eyes were moist, had been for a long time, but she had refused to let them fall while he was awake.  He had always hated making others cry, and the sight of her crying may have just made him even more miserable.  Now, as her brother sat down beside her, putting his arms around her in a comforting embrace, she let them fall, pressing her face to his chest, clutching at his clothing.  Seeing her love in so much grief when he had been so happy earlier that morning tore at her heartstrings.

Fûma simply held her, letting her take comfort in his presence, his own grief coursing through him.  He had never been one to cry.  He didn't make a conscious effort not to, but it just didn't come to him as easily as to Kamui.  Sometimes he wondered if Kamui was trying to make up the difference between them.  The smaller angel held so much pity and compassion for the humans, and he found himself in tears rather often.  Fûma hated to think of how he had smirked at and mocked that "weakness" back in 1999.  It wasn't until afterward that he finally realized that that love for others was Kamui's strength, not his weakness, and that it had only hardened his resolve to win.  Still, collapsing in a crying fit left one extremely vulnerable and easy to torment, as Fûma had taken advantage of.  He often wondered just how much he had made Kamui hate him by the end, but the conflict in 1999 was hardly ever mentioned among the Dragons or Dreamseers.  It was too sensitive a subject.

Kotori's tears tapered down a few minutes later, and she released Fûma from her hold.  He got up off the bed and removed Kamui's shoes from his feet, then gathered the smaller angel into his arms, letting Kotori pull the bedcovers down.  He grunted as his arms took on Kamui's full weight.  The littler sucker was a boneless chicken when he slept, and his normally small weight always seemed to almost triple.  He placed Kamui back on the bed as gently as he could, his head now on the pillows, and pulled the covers back over him.  Kamui stirred slightly and let out a soft sigh.  His wings lay straight out on either side of him, completely still.  They had been constantly quivering as he had lain weeping.

Kotori got back on the bed, slipped under the covers, lay down beside him, and put her arms around him.  She had no intention of falling asleep, but she wanted, no needed, to hold him.  He had—consciously or unconsciously, she wasn't sure—cringed away from her embrace as he wept, and all she could do was either stroke his hair or hold his hand.  She was lying on her side on his left wing, her own wings straight out behind her, but he had no reaction.  Their wings were tangible when deliberately touched, but never got in the way of anything, passing right though as needed.  They would have been more hindrance than help if they were always solid, like the wings of birds.  They'd be knocking things down and getting them broken and bruised left and right.  Right now, if he had been awake, he wouldn't have even felt Kotori's weight on his wing.

Fûma was about to discreetly leave when a soft knock sounded on the door.  Fûma had left it slightly ajar, and it was cautiously pushed open by the angel on the other side.

"Is…is he all right?" Yuzuriha asked, almost whispering.  She had broken down crying when she had learned of Kamui's temporary madness and subsequent injury.  She and Kamui were so much alike in their compassion for others, and she and Kamui were almost looked upon as kindred spirits.  Many of the Dragons wondered if Kamui hadn't loved Kotori, would he have loved Yuzuriha?  Yuzu-chan, as they called her, admitted to once having a crush on him when they had first met, but it had quickly passed, as many high school crushes tend to do.  Besides, she and Kusanagi had soon struck up a friendship, which had led to something more.  They were a bit of an odd couple, but everyone knew very well that love was blind (and, as they sometimes joked, it seemed deaf and dumb at times, as well).

"Yes, he should be all right, with a little rest," Fûma replied.  Kotori had half sat up, her arms still twined loosely around Kamui, to greet the girl.  They had never met in life, but as angels, they had become fast friends.  Sorata had found it funny that a bird and a cat (as their names dubbed them) could like each other so much.  "He took awhile to stop crying and fall asleep," Fûma continued, "but he should—"

"Inuki!" Yuzuriha squawked as her Dog Spirit squeezed between her legs and into the room, making for the bed.  He had taken a liking to Kamui as soon as they met in 1999, and ran to him almost every time he saw him.  Yuzuriha leapt into the room herself, almost having to tackle the dog to keep him from jumping on the bed and waking the sleeping angel.  Both Fûma and Kotori winced and looked at Kamui.  He shifted and moaned slightly at the noise, but didn't awaken.  He let out a sigh that seemed almost like a suppressed sob.  Fûma wondered what kind of dreams he was having.  He had noticed Kamui's hands twitching slightly, and was worried about Kamui's dreams perhaps turning into nightmares.  If an angel is ever attacked by a demon that brutally, they tended to have an occasional nightmare about it, especially so soon after the fact.

"I'm sorry," Yuzuriha apologized, shooing Inuki out of the room.  She walked over to the bedside and looked down at Kamui's youthful face, a sad smile gracing her own.  "Hope you get better real soon, Kamui-san," she whispered to him, leaning down to place a kiss on his forehead.  She had always been the huggy-touchy-feely type, and tended to do that with angels injured for any reason, especially among the Dragons.  She said it brought them good luck in recovering.  No one but she knew if that was really true or not.  She straightened back up and put on her normal cheerful face again.  "Well, I guess I'll see you two around!" she said in her sweet voice, and left.

Kotori lay back down next to Kamui, holding him firmly against her.  She hadn't left his side since Fûma brought him here, and she wasn't going to leave his side until he woke up, at the very least.  She felt Fûma lean over her and gently kiss her cheek, as he normally did when they parted.  She heard his soft footsteps go toward the door, and the soft click as he closed it behind him.  She and Kamui were alone again.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Kamui, are you sure you're rested?" Fûma asked, almost running to keep up with the shorter angel.  Kamui was himself almost running toward God's palace to get permission to enter the Material Plane.  "That attack floored you completely.  If God Himself hadn't healed you, you'd probably have been incapacitated for weeks, maybe even months."

"I guess we'll find out when the Lord either grants or denies my request to go to the Material Plane," Kamui answered, not looking back.  "He said I could go down, with you with me, when I was rested enough from the attack.  I don't think He'd let me if I wasn't."  He desperately hoped his request would be granted.  It was evening in Avril, and Kamui was anxious to get down there.  The attack was hours ago, and he felt they didn't have much time before something awful happened.  Still, he couldn't go against God.  He'd have to be an idiot to even try.

He got to the palace gates, Fûma at his heels, hardly slowing at all.  The doors automatically opened, for they sensed the presence of two angels, but Kamui almost plowed right into them before they opened wide enough to admit even his slender form.  Fûma had to grab him by the wingtips and literally drag him back a few feet.

They sped through the halls, making their way to the throne room, Kamui almost running into an angel or two, not really paying attention to anything but the large doors he was headed toward.  Fûma made a mental note to remind Kamui to apologize when they got back—if Kamui's request was granted and they left right then…he'd remind him to apologize immediately if they didn't.

Kamui almost burst through the doors, startling a few angels standing near them.  As he got inside, Kamui remembered protocol, and slowed down, becoming more respectful in his movements to the deity sitting on the throne.

"My Lord," he began, kneeling down in respect.  "I—"

"Yes, Kamui," the Lord interrupted.  "I know why you are here.  Yes, you may go down to the Material Plane."  He held up a hand as Kamui's eyes lit up.  "But, I warn you to be very careful of what you are doing there.  You must remember that I chose not to punish you for your running there without permission earlier today, though I had every reason to do so.  You broke one of the rules I most enforce.  Do not give Me further reason to punish you, for I will not be so kind next time.  You have served Me very well for centuries, and I would be saddened to see you start to slip because of the well-being of one single boy."

"Yes, My Lord," Kamui said quietly.  Now that he thought about it, he was very lucky to get off on that one.  He had been punished before occasionally, for other things, and the punishments can be rather unpleasant.  The Lord was the ultimate compassionate being, but He could also think of some thoroughly undesirable chastisements for rule breakers.

"Go now," the Lord said to Kamui and Fûma.  "And remember:  be very careful with what you are doing.  I will expect you to answer to Me personally for any mishaps."

"Yes, Lord," Kamui and Fûma replied, bowing.  They both disappeared into the black space between Heaven and the Material Plane.

"So," Fûma asked his Twin Star, "what exactly do you plan on doing?"

"Well," Kamui answered, "I guess hunt down that demon and send it back to Hell, and then find Lex and return him to normal."  He hadn't really thought it through yet, and was now aware that he really didn't know how he intended to do either of those things.

"Are you sure that demon is still on the Material Plane?" Fûma asked.

"Probably," Kamui said.  "Whatever it had in mind for Lex, it's probably sticking around to keep an eye on him.  After all, I wouldn't be so bold as to think it so stupid as to not at least expect a retaliation from us, or at least me."

"Don't be reckless again when you confront it again," Fûma warned.  "It's more powerful than either of us, and we don't want one or both of us ending up like you did when you attacked it this morning, or worse.  Don't lose your head, Kamui.  I know this means a lot to you, but you have to at least keep your wits about you."

"I know," Kamui murmured.  "But, I just have this feeling that, if this situations isn't resolved soon, something awful will happen.  Satan had a reason for sending one of his demons to attack Lex, but I don't know what yet.  I wouldn't be surprised, though, if Satan has big plans for Lex, now that the memories of his life as Legato have been released.  If he could be somehow persuaded to serve the Devil, a lot of people will die, and die soon."  He looked down.  "If his spirit is damned again, I think I'd go berserk, at least for a little while.  No telling what I'd do if that happened."  He knew very well what he was capable of, and could inadvertently cause a disaster if he went crazy.  Power as intense as his was very dangerous if it goes wild.

Fûma put a hand on his shoulder.  "Just keep in mind that we're trying to _avoid_ a disaster, not cause one."  Fûma couldn't exactly remember what had caused it, but about one hundred fifty or so years after Kamui came into God's service, the small angel had a task to complete on Earth, but this had come to that, things got out of hand, and Kamui's resulting anger had caused a substantial hole in the ground right in the middle of an amusement park.  Luckily, the park had been closed, as it was getting late in the evening, and only two people were killed, about twenty injured, all of them members of the park staff.  All the humans could guess was that it had been a bomb planted where the explosion occurred.  Kamui had been stripped of his position on the angel hierarchy for about six months, but it could have been much longer if it hadn't been Kamui's first offense outside of some small slipup.  Since then, Kamui had avoided such furies, but there was still the possibility of him slipping into a passionate rage, starting a psychic storm up around him.  He was one of the more volatile angels in God's service.

They emerged into the Material Plane.  It was getting late, and the two shivered as they encountered the cold air of the desert night.  They both directed some of their energy to their skin, warming up again.  The feathers on their wings were puffed out slightly.

"So, where to, Kamui?" Fûma asked.  "You're the one in charge here.  I'm just with you to lend a hand, and so you don't get reduced to a screeching harpy again."  He grinned wryly as he said it.

"Yuk, yuk, yuk," Kamui replied snidely, making a face at his friend.  Even after so long, he was infinitely glad that they were able to tease each other like this after the conflict in 1999.  Many times, he had thanked God for that (it was, after all, the Lord making a point of cleansing Fûma's desire to destroy all humanity).  If not out loud, at least in his heart.

"So…?" Fûma said, after Kamui said nothing else.

"Um…well, Avril's that way," he said, pointing to the lights of the town.  "It's probably best to get that demon first, before going to Lex, so no more damage is done.  Maybe it's hiding out in the town.  For all we know, it could have the ability to block our sensing it, so we might as well scour the town."  He took off in a jog toward the town…and promptly fell over backwards as his wing was grabbed and he was jerked back.

"Get rid of these, first," Fûma said, kneeling next to a horizontal Kamui, pointing to the large white-feathered wings issuing from his spine.  "We're supposed to keep a low profile, remember?  The townsfolk are going to notice something very odd about two men walking around with body parts from giant birds on their backs."  His own wings were gone, making him look like a human in his late teens.

Kamui got up, rather indignant at being dropped on the ground, and shook the sand from his feathers, the beautiful appendages disappearing a few seconds later.  "There, happy?" he said in mock anger.

"I'm not the one you should be pleasing, Kamui," Fûma said, shaking his head, as if exasperated.  "It's the Man Upstairs you should try not to disappoint."

"Yeah, you're right," Kamui complied.  He knew that he dare not grow careless, even if his tone was rather light.  Whenever he was on a job with Fûma, he found himself more at ease, and wasn't so stiff or reserved than with others.  Being with his dearest friend brought him at least a little comfort on a job this serious.  Without another word, he turned and headed onward to Avril, Fûma right behind him, praying that all this go over without any serious problems.  Knowing that what happened was partly destiny/God's intention, partly free will of the participants (God created free will for a reason, after all), and partly chance, he didn't know what to expect.

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  Yes, I know this chapter got a little wordy in parts, but I hope it didn't get too monotonous to read all the fairly long paragraphs.  Was it?  I hope not. O_o  I like this chapter, if I do say so myself.  What do you all think?  The next chapter will contain—among other things—the reason for Knives' relatively quick change of heart toward humans.  Hope you all look forward to it!  I know Kira Douji is…she's told me she's been watching Knives very carefully to see if his behavior makes sense.  I better not disappoint her, or she might get mad at me.  Anyway, please, please, please let me know how you all think the story is either in a review or at mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!


	5. Secrets Told

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Akuma no Hôfuku By Annie-chan Chapter Five:  Secrets Told 

Vash stood near the door in Lex's room, staring down at the young man whose identity had come into question.  His older twin, Knives, was kneeling down in front of the young man.  Said young man was sitting on both knees on the floor, his gaze resting on the gray-blue carpeting that covered the floor.  His hair was hanging over his face, not combed back or tucked behind his ears as it normally was, and his perpetual expression was now a rather disturbing deadpan, mixed with a very faint predatory expression.  He looked eerily like himself from a lifetime ago…

He had experienced and displayed great confusion a few moments before, when he saw one of the two taller men, the one with the longer hair, was not trying all means to keep away from the one with the shorter hair.

"You and Your brother are together again, Master," he had said, respectful despite his obvious confusion.  "You have no need of me anymore.  Why did I come back to this world if You have no need of me?  Why did You not kill me when you first saw me?  In fact…it's been nearly two decades…why are there still humans alive at all?  Has it…has it only been a little while since You and he were reunited…?"  He did not look directly into Knives' eyes.  Legato had been taught, when he first came into Knives' service many years ago, that it was a capital offense to look directly into his master's eyes without being told to first, and only his master could give him that command.

Knives, and perhaps Vash, knew Legato had been risking much by asking these questions.  He had to have been terribly upset and perplexed to ask questions that may be interpreted as questioning his master's motives and actions.  It was to Legato what spitting on a picture of Jesus was to Christians.

Legato's eyes had widened, his pupils contracting, and his breath had caught in his throat when Knives had said one simple sentence:  "I'm not looking to wipe out the humans anymore."

"M-Master…?!" Legato had managed after his initial reaction.  "I…I don't understand!  You…You told me that, as soon as You persuaded Your brother to join you again…the humans are a disease!  A plague!  You said You would purge them from this planet!  Why?!  Why have You not?!"  He was now very upset indeed.  He had never spoken back to his master like this before.  He had known it wasn't his place to talk back.

"I haven't persuaded Vash to join me again, Legato," Knives had replied.  "That's the thing.  He's persuaded _me_ to join _him_, instead."

Legato had looked like he had been slapped across the face.  Shock and disbelieve had been shining brightly in his hazel-brown eyes, and, if one looked close enough, a very slight tremor had situated itself in his body.  His gaze dropped to the carpet, and he sat perfectly still on the floor.  Now, a few minutes later, he remained like that, even the rise-and-fall of his chest that corresponded with his breath barely visible.

Knives broke the silence, convinced that Legato was not going to make any further action.  "I have to ask you something, Legato."  He had to almost grind the word out through his teeth.  He didn't like saying that name, reminding himself what this young man once was—and was, apparently, once again.  "Do you have _any_ recollection of the past eighteen years?  Do you have _any_ memory of a young man named Alexander Michael O'Sé?"

"Yes, a little," Legato replied, almost in a whisper.  "But, that wasn't me.  That wasn't me.  This is the real me, finally released from it's bonds in this pathetic boy's blood and flesh.  Alexander Michael O'Sé is only a sham…a sham…"

"No, Legato," Knives said.  "This is not the real you.  It's the you that I created years ago.  Lex is you as you, yourself, have built him.  You were never meant to be what I made you into in my desire to rid this world of humans and bring my brother back to me.  I should never have tampered with you like I did.  Let this side of you go.  It's the only way you'll have peace."

Legato did not respond for a moment.  He continued staring at the carpet.  "I…I don't deserve peace…I deserve death…all humans do…"  He was silent a few moments, then, "Master…?  May I please ask a question?"

"Don't call me that," Knives replied, "but go ahead."

"W-why?" he asked, his voice taking on an almost desperate tone.  "Why did You so suddenly change Your heart?  Why?!"  His voice had risen with every word, getting rather high-pitched at the end of his question.  He seemed to be trying to hold back a bout of hysteria.  This recent discovery of his master's changed intentions was not agreeing with him well one bit.

Knives sighed.  "You won't like this, I imagine," he began.  "But, I have to tell you, whether you ask or not."  He took Legato's chin in his hand and looked directly into his eyes—not as golden as they once were, but Legato's eyes all the same—and his tone of voice changed dramatically from tentative and explanatory to hard and almost self-deprecating.  "Now, you listen to me, and you listen good.  I am not, I repeat, _not_ one whit proud of myself or what I did for nearly one hundred thirty years.  In fact, I'm angry at myself.  I can't _believe_ what I did, what I made you do, what I made others do.  I feel like I was the stupidest, most self-righteous bastard that humanity ever witnessed.  You want to know why?!"  His tone was getting on the bitter side, and his eyes were flashing in intense anger directed at himself.  Behind him, Vash shifted uncomfortably on his feet.  He knew very well that his twin was furious at himself for what he did in the past, and neither of them liked to talk about it much.

Legato nodded slightly, terrified of his master's sudden bad humor.

"After my defeat in Demetery, Vash of course took it upon himself to reform me, to teach me his way of life, to make me no longer a threat to the humans he cared for so much," Knives continued, his gaze dropping from Legato's eyes to Legato's chest, though his mind did not fully register what he was looking at.  He was lost in his thoughts, speaking more-or-less through his teeth.  "He got a little ways with me at first, probably because of my physical weakness from being shot several times combined with my residual shock of defeat.  I didn't put up much resistance to what he was trying to teach me.  But, after the first few months, I shut myself off completely.  I refused to let him teach me, refused to learn anything.  Although I didn't kill anymore, I declined to go into human settlements, so we lived in an abandoned Seeds ship, Vash sometimes going to the nearby town for any supplies that were not in the ship's largely unused storage.  For five solid years, I was like that, but he never stopped.  He never gave up on me.  It was like he was determined to either break through or die trying.  Then, one day, I woke up, looked over to him sleeping a few feet away from me, and something in my mind changed.  Call it an epiphany, if you'd like.  I don't know if it was because of some dream I don't remember but was influenced from, or what, but I suddenly realized just how damned _backwards_ I had seen everything for most of my life.  It was not _he_ that needed reteaching, as I had thought for decades, but _me_.  In the back of my mind, all of the ship's Plants—we were always connected with them when in the ship, due to our closeness to them—were screaming at me, 'Yes!  Yes!  Hear him!  Listen to him!  Learn from him!'  I tell you, I had never felt so devastated, so guilty, or so regretful before.  Vash woke up not long after that to find me curled up in a corner, tears on my face."  He paused, his eyes closed.  All the anger was gone, replaced by sadness.  He looked like he was trying to hold back tears even now.  "Since then," he continued, his voice much softer than it was before, "I have done my damnedest to live differently from the way I had for over a century.  I have given my all to learn from my brother, to somehow find a way to make up for what I have done.  It has been hard, but I've come a long way.  My only desire is to keep going forward, and to never fall back to what I once was."  He let go of Legato's chin and sat back on his heels, clearing his throat.  He had managed to compose himself, and tears were no longer threatening.  He did not open his eyes immediately.  "Anyway, what I'm saying—"

"Um…Knives…?" Vash interrupted, sounding both afraid and disturbed.  "Knives…his eyes…God, Knives, look at his eyes!"

Knives' eyes snapped open and he looked into Legato's face.  He immediately froze, stunned by what he saw there.

The young man's eyes were wide, so wide that sclera could be seen all around the irises.  The pupils were contracted to tiny pinpoints, almost disappearing in the twin fields of hazel-brown.  A barrage of emotions were flashing one after the other in his eyes, none identifiable in the split second they were there, but unnerving put all together.  His mouth was open slightly, and his breathing was hard and shaky.  He looked insane.

"Le…Legato…?" Knives ventured, uneasy at the young man's expression.

"You…" Legato started, his teeth clenched to keep himself from shouting.  "You…you let him change you of your own free will?!"  He sounded disbelieving.

"Well…yes," Knives answered, wondering if he ought to back up or not.

"I can't believe this!" Legato hissed, closing his eyes tightly and turning his head away.  "I can't _believe_ this!  You've betrayed the cause!  You've betrayed all you've worked for!  _You've betrayed yourself!_"  His voice was rising rapidly, and he was nearly screaming as he finished.  Knives had never seen him so enraged before.

"Legato calm down," Knives tried, hugely surprised.  This never _ever_ would have happened in Legato's previous life!

"Never!" Legato cried, standing up and backing away.  "This is _terrible_!  How _dare_ you abandon your cause for the likes of _him_?!"  Bald fury was screaming through his livid eyes.  All his hate, all his loathing for Vash the Stampede was making itself known.  "He _never_ deserved you!  He never deserved any _part_ of you!  Least of all, your mind!"

"Now, you listen to me—AH!"  Knives had stood up as well, angry at what was being said against his twin.  He had grabbed Legato's wrist, but suddenly found his own wrist bent back painfully.  Legato had slipped out of the hold and grasped Knives' hand, twisting it hard the wrong way.  Shock and alarm mixed with the pain in Knives' brain.  Legato had never…he had _never_…_never_ before even _thought_ of doing something like this!

"No, I'll not listen to you!" Legato raged.  "You are no master of mine!"  His eyes turned accusingly to Vash, who was watching, all but frozen to his spot, not ten feet away.  "_You!  This is all your fault!!!!!!!!!!_" Legato shrieked at the outlaw.

Vash, caught completely off guard, suddenly felt angry psychic power wrap around him, and before he could resist, he found himself picked up and thrown through the air toward Knives.  They collided hard and were hurled roughly against the wall behind Knives.  Knives' head connected with the wall with a sickening _crack_.

The release of energy had blown out the bedroom window, and Vash looked up just in time to see Legato jump out of it down to the ground two stories below.  He forced himself up from off his brother, who was motionless since his head hit the wall, and ran over to the window.  He was barely able to see Legato running away into the night, his footsteps getting farther away with each second.  He looked back to his brother, who was sitting up, gingerly fingering the sore spot on the back of his head, muttering something to himself that Vash couldn't make out.

"What…just…happened…?" Vash managed, utterly and completely bowled over.  "I…he…you…he would never…Knives, explain!"  He finished in a tone a little more commanding than he intended, but he had never been so stunned speechless in his life.  The thought of Legato turning against Knives was inconceivable…

Knives sighed and lowered his eyes.  "If anyone believed in my cause more than me, it was Legato Bluesummers.  He was beyond dedicated, beyond zealous…it was his reason for living.  He surprised even me on many occasions with just how much he felt driven to fulfill my designs.  You heard him…said I betrayed myself.  He's…lost faith in me, choosing to abandon me over abandoning some crazy-minded philosophy that couldn't be farther from how things really are.  That man was…is…sick."  He shaded his eyes, refusing to look at his twin.  "Damn it all…this is my fault."

"He's lost faith in you," Vash repeated, incredulous.  "That's not a very good thing, is it?"

"No," Knives conceded.  "He may be an even bigger threat to those around him now, because he has no reason to wait for an order to attack from me anymore.  He could end up not harming anybody for some reason, but it's more likely that people start dropping like flies at any minute now."

Vash felt a cold dread well up from deep inside him.  Dropping like flies…Legato did so like to kill humans in large groups.  Vash looked at the clock by the bedside.  Ten minutes until Mr. and Mrs. O'Sé were due home.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Seven-thirty the next morning…

In the front room of the O'Sé household, a rather gloomy gathering was taking place.  The previous night, the O'Sés had come home to find their son run away, and Vash and Knives threw caution to the wind and told them everything.  From the twins' relationship, to the Seeds crash, to Knives' madness, to the twins' strife, to Legato's servitude to Knives, to his death at Vash's hands, they told them everything.  The young man's parents had gone to bed very upset, Mrs. O'Sé in tears, but Vash and Knives were not very surprised, seeing as they had just learned that their son was the reincarnation, and now the embodiment, of Legato Bluesummers.  Their son was a sadomasochistic, self-destructive, misanthropic, homicidal (and suicidal) madman.  Very little could be worse to come home to.

Vash and Knives had slept in the living room again, not wanting to bother Mrs. O'Sé with fixing up the guestroom in her state.

Now, Vash, Knives, Mr. and Mrs. O'Sé, and Calpernia were in the living room, Cal just now having finished hearing the story.  The blood had drained from her face, and she looked about ready to faint.  Not surprising.  The man she loved had turned out to be one of the worst men in the world to have any contact with.  She looked like she was about to cry.

"Well," Knives said tentatively, though bluntly.  "There haven't been any disturbances in the town yet that he could have caused.  If he hasn't started by now, I have a feeling he doesn't have any immediate intentions to kill anybody."

"Mm," Vash agreed.  The others nodded vaguely.  "I guess we should try to find him somehow and bring him back to himself," Vash continued, looking at Knives.

"Take me with you."

The twins both looked at Cal, their faces surprised.  "What?" they said at once.

"I said take me with you," she repeated.  Some of the color seemed to have returned to her face.  "Please.  I know it will be dangerous, but I want to go.  I love this man.  I want to help find him and somehow bring him back to normal."  Her voice was quiet, and she didn't look at either of them directly.

"Cal…" Vash started, then stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.  He looked over to his twin, whose eyes seemed to say, "Let her do it.  She's not going to stay behind even if we tied her up."

Vash sighed.  "All right."

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  Er…heh heh. ^_^0  Um…I hope I didn't make Legato going all weird on Knives and Vash seem too farfetched.  Did I?  And, what about Knives' reasons for his change of heart?  Please tell me!  I know it's been forever since I updated this story, and I apologize.  I know Katie has been bugging me to update for a while. _  Anyway, please let me know what you think of this at mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!


	6. Slaughter of Innocents

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Akuma no Hôfuku By Annie-chan Chapter Six:  Slaughter of Innocents 

"Oh, hang it all!"

Fûma looked over to Kamui as they rested in the shade of a large building on the edge of town.  The smaller angel was rather upset at the results of their search.  They had looked in every public building and every private residence that night, looking for the demon.  Neither of them were very happy about having to teleport from building to building during the night, for it felt like breaking in, but their search took precedence over human law.  Early on in their search, they had felt a quick surge of psychic energy that Kamui immediately recognized as Lex/Legato.  Fûma had barely restrained Kamui from racing to the source, and managed to convince him that finding the demon came first.  Since the town woke up, they had been going about as normal humans.  They had gone into every public building that they hadn't searched during the night, and knocked on the doors of every private residence they hadn't gone into, asking if the people living in them had seen or heard anything unusual at all.  Nothing, except the account of the screams from out in the desert on the west of town.  That didn't help.

"Well, I guess we have to think of some other way to find it," Fûma said.

"Gr," Kamui growled in reply.  It was now midmorning in Avril, and the temperature was getting quite high, as it was wont to do on this desert planet.  Kamui and Fûma had recently ducked into an empty men's restroom in a nearby restaurant and turned their clothes from dark colors to light colors.  Neither wanted to pass out from the heat.

"There are two buildings we haven't checked, you know," Fûma continued.

"Oh, yeah, right!" Kamui exclaimed, looking annoyed.  "Like that _thing_ will set foot in a church!"  There were two churches in town, a Catholic one and a Protestant one.

"Well," Fûma said, pointing out toward a lone building about one hundred yards from the rest of the buildings.  "Why don't we go there and have a rest?"  It was the Protestant church, which had been built a little ways from the rest of the town to quiet the noises of the town during the church sessions, as well as the times in-between sessions that it was open to anyone to come in and pray if they wished.

"Yeah, why not?" Kamui agreed, and they stood up and started walking toward it.  As angels, they didn't really care what branch of Christianity a church taught, just as long as it was a house of prayer and not a den of thieves.

They got to the church building ("Drat this heat!" Kamui had exclaimed at least four times) and looked over the church schedule posted on the door.  It was Sunday today, and the morning service was nearly over, and then it would be open to the general public to come in and pray until the afternoon service at four o'clock.

"Let's go in and listen to the end of the service," Fûma suggested.  "Then, we can stay for a while and try to think of some way to continue with what we're trying to do.  It's better than sitting on the hard ground under that building, at any rate."

"You read my mind," Kamui said, flashing Fûma a quick grin.  "I need to get out of this sun."  He walked up the steps to the doors, Fûma behind him, and pushed them open, trying to be quiet so as not to disturb the service.

His heart stopped.  He stood ridged in the doorway, his hands holding the double doors open, and stared, wide-eyed at the scene before him.

"Kamui?" Fûma asked, climbing the last few stairs to look inside.  "What's the mat—oh, sweet Jesus."

Blood.  Everywhere, blood.  On the floor, the pews, the altar, the walls, everywhere.  The torn bodies of the churchgoers, as well as the ministers and sextons, were strewn everywhere, some barely recognizable, they were mauled so hideously.  Something had gone through here and made a massacre of these people.

Kamui and Fûma looked up at the broken remains of the podium and saw what they were looking for.  The very demon they had been searching for for so long perched there, smeared with the victims' blood, grinning at them.

"So, you finally found me," it chuckled, clearly enjoying their horror.

Kamui stumbled toward the nearest body, and Fûma had to leap forward and steady him to keep him from falling as he knelt down.  It was only a child, a little girl, perhaps seven years old, her pretty pink church dress stained red with her blood.  Kamui placed his hand on her blood-matted brunette hair.

"Why," he whispered, then shouted, "Why?!  Why did you have to kill them?!"  Tears had again burst forth from his violet eyes, and he bowed his head, weeping for so many innocent lives lost.

"Kamui," Fûma soothed, though he himself sounded as if he would cry, "it's all right.  It's all right.  God has taken them under His wing.  They're in a better place now."  He had his arms around his Twin Star, trying to calm him.

"Well, if you have to know," the demon said, its tone mocking, "I was getting bored waiting for you to find me.  It took you so long, seeing as I could keep you from sensing my aura.  So, I decided to relieve my boredom and have a little fun.  I froze everyone in this church, but kept them conscious.  It was ever so entertaining to hear them scream as I ripped them apart."

"_You!_" Kamui roared, leaping to his feet.  "_How dare you desecrate the house of God?!?!?!?!_"  His wings were out and spread wide, trembling in his rage.  His Sacred Sword was in his hands, ready to kill.  Power swirled violently around him, but he barely noticed when the tremendous updraft from his sudden power-up blew a big hole in the church roof.

"You've already tried that, little angel," the demon smirked, clearly amused.

"Well, then, let's see how you'll do against two," Fûma grated out, his voice hard.  His wings were out as well, his Sacred Sword gripped tightly in his hands.  Icy fury was flashing through his golden eyes.

The demon smirked and leapt at them, claws extended, teeth gnashing.

It never stood a chance.  It was more powerful than each of them alone, but weak against the combined power of two infuriated angels.  A horrendous shriek filled the air as Kamui's sword sliced it in half the short way, and Fûma's sword swung in a second deadly arc, cutting the halves into fourths.  The pieces hit the floor before the echoes had died out even halfway.

"You flaming idiot," Fûma muttered, kicking one of the pieces, his voice full of distain.  "You underestimated us.  No wonder you lost in no time."

Kamui dropped to his knees, his sword disappearing.  His wings drooped, and he bowed his head, crying into his hands.  "They didn't need to die!  Not so many!  This is my fault!  I should have found that demon sooner!"

Fûma was about to kneel down next to him, intent on telling him that it was all right, that it was both their faults if it was even their fault at all, but he didn't get the chance.

The door, which had swung shut, burst open.  At the bottom of the steps could be seen a police jeep, and about half a dozen Avril police officers stood wide-eyed and open-mouthed in the doorway.  Two other jeeps could be heard pulling up.

"Holy—" one officer had exclaimed.  They certainly hadn't expected _this_.  "First the roof blows off, then we hear some kind of screams as we're driving here, and now…_angels?!?!_"

"Yes, we are angels," Fûma said, seeing no reason to deny it.  Kamui was still crying, and clearly wasn't in a mood to talk.  "We've been looking for this," Fûma said, indicating the demon's remains, "and we've managed to send it back to Hell, but not before it killed these innocent churchgoers."

The officers were still standing there, speechless, only there were a lot more of them now.

"I have something to do before we leave," Kamui sniffled, standing up.  He tilted his head back, spread his wings, and murmured a chant almost inaudibly.  A white light surged up from his hands, up through the hole in the roof, and spread out into a dome that completely covered the church.  A warm, light, sweet-smelling breeze blew through the church, and when the light faded, the blood was gone, the demon's remains were disintegrated, the hole in the roof was fixed, and the dead bodies were whole again.  "I've cleaned this place up," Kamui said when he finished and folded his wings against his back again, "and made these people presentable for burial."

"Come on, Kamui," Fûma said, taking his hand.  "We should get out of here.  It's best we find Lex as soon as possible."  As he said this, his wings disappeared once again, and he led Kamui out the door of the church, the officers parting like the Red Sea before Moses.  Kamui followed suit in hiding his wings again, and let himself be led out of the church building.  His tears were almost stopped, though he was still sniffling.

When Kamui and Fûma entered the town proper, the officers were still standing in the church door, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Cheer up, Kamui," Fûma said a little while later, as they left the café they had stopped at briefly to get something cool to drink.  "Everyone dies eventually.  Some now, some later."

"I know," Kamui said quietly.  "I just wish they didn't have to die in that way.  To be killed like that, especially by a demon, has got to be one of the worst ways possible to meet your end."  The torn-up bodies and the massive bloodstains reminded him disturbingly of the conflict in 1999.  It wasn't too terribly uncommon in that war between the Dragons to see a body torn to pieces, or at least with its head ripped off.  Kotori, Aunt Saya, Aunt Tokiko, Saiki…

"Well, not everybody can die in a good way," Fûma replied, his voice conveying his own sorrow.  "Not that there's really any good way to die."

"Mm," Kamui agreed.  There were walking on some back streets, not really wanting to be in the middle of the midday crowds.  It was quiet here, and they could talk without having to raise their voices over the noise of the other people.

Kamui suddenly stopped in his tracks, and Fûma froze a split second later.  A mass of unholy power was suddenly present to the northwest, catching the two angels almost completely off guard.  They had been hung up on the incident at the church to really be on the alert for such things.  Kamui silently cursed.

"Demons," Fûma said, as if to himself, looking off toward the northwest.  "Dozens of them.  Low-level.  They're converging all on one spot…"

"Oh, no," Kamui rasped, his throat suddenly dry.  "Oh, no…_oh, no_…"  He reached his senses out toward that spot, searching intently for what the demons were after.  He sensed two Plants…that'd be Vash and Knives, as they were the only two Plants in existence to live as humans live.  There was the tiny power of the average human, and then there was a strong psychic power that felt exactly like…

"LEX!" Kamui cried, launching himself into the air, his wings popping back to existence.  He sped off toward the spot, paying no mind that Fûma was chasing behind him, hollering for him to slow down.  Kamui didn't care if people saw them streaking through the air, angel wings as plain as a green hat with an orange bill.  His Lex, his near-son, was in danger, and it would take every demon in Hell to stop him now.

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  I hope the last two chapters didn't seem too hastily written.  To tell the truth, they kinda were. -_-0  Sorry.  I hope I didn't disappoint anybody.  Please let me know of any comments or (constructive) criticism!  I haven't updated this story in a long time, so I wrote and posted two chapters at once.  I hope you're happy, Katie! =P  Please, please, please tell me how you all like this story either in a review or at mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!


	7. Unholy Messengers

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Akuma no Hôfuku By Annie-chan Chapter Seven:  Unholy Messengers 

Legato's feet hit the ground directly under Lex's bedroom window, and he turned to the left and ran.  He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't care.  All he wanted was to get away, get away from that place, those men.  His mind was awhirl with thoughts, and he didn't like what he was thinking or what had just happened one bit.

_Knives…Knives, you traitorous, hateful backstabber!_ he thought heatedly.  _How?!  HOW could you betray yourself like that, throw away all your values and priorities like that?!  It's the _worst_ crime you could commit against yourself!_  Legato was furious, enraged even, with his former master.  Yes, _former_ master.  He no longer swore allegiance to the being that had saved his life, taken him in off the streets and raised him, and shown him the truth about the human pestilence that plagues the Universe.  The Plant he once saw as a god had thrown away all right to call himself Legato's master, and he didn't seem to regret it one tiny ounce.  It's as if he thought that his twin's damn fool ideas of showing mercy to an unworthy race were right, that he had been completely wrong for over a century.

_Legato Bluesummers, you idiot_, he silently berated himself.  _That's exactly what he thinks.  He told you himself he now agrees with Vash the Stampede._  He shuddered at that name.  Ever since Millions Knives had taken him in almost forty years ago, at the age of five, Legato had hated the blond outlaw with all his torn and stitched-together heart.  He despised the outlaw for leaving Knives so many years before, for his refusal to come back to where he belonged, and his completely ludicrous ideas that humanity was worth saving, that the humans were on a plane equal with the Plants.  The whole idea was preposterous, but Vash the Stampede was as unwavering in his convictions as Knives had been in his.  Idealism against Realism, pretty-sounding Lies against unmerciful and unavoidable Truth.  There was no compromise.  One had to fall to the other.

Realism had fallen to Idealism, Truth had fallen to Lies, Millions Knives had fallen to Vash the Stampede.

The mere thought of it was sickening.

Legato slowed down to a walk, his breathing slightly labored.  Lex was a fit young man, just like Legato had been in his previous life, so Lex's body wasn't very tired, just a little fatigued.  That, and he found it easier to think clearly walking.

_Vash the Stampede_, he thought, a sick smile twisting his lips.  _There is nothing in the way of killing you now.  You and your brainwashed twin deserve to die, just like the filthy humans.  All that I must get past is your sheer power._  If he had gotten the chance, he would have gladly killed Vash the Stampede in the most painful way he could think of in his previous life.  Only two things had stopped him:  Knives' command that nothing fatal be inflicted against Vash, and the jaw dropping power each Plant possessed within them.  It would be nothing for a Plant to kill a human with a mere thought.  They could destroy whole cities and put holes in moons with a single shot from one of their Angel Arms, but nothing that powerful was needed for a single human.  All that they would have to do is send out a tiny thread of their power and snap the human's neck, rip them limb from limb, crush them under an invisible weight, or some other simple thing.  Humans were so weak.

Vash the Stampede will die, Millions Knives along with him.  Both of them were disgraces to their brothers and sisters enslaved to the humans, and they had to be eliminated for the other Plants' safety.  Yes, there was the enormous power both the twins possessed, but every rock had its weak point.  Once he found it, it would be easy to crush them completely.

_The responsibility is now mine_, he thought, stopping and looking up to the Fifth Moon.  The gaping crater in its face, the handiwork of Vash the Stampede two decades ago, stared back at him.  _I must kill the twins, find some way to destroy the humans so none is left alive, let the Plants out to find their own ways to live as they please, then let myself die._  He knew it would be difficult.  Before, he had merely been following Knives' plan, carrying out orders as his master gave them.  He never knew what Knives' plan for destroying the humans was, so he needed to find a way himself.  He knew he could find one eventually.  All he needed was time to think.  The Plants, after all, were The Ones Who Lived Outside of Time.  Even if it took him a long time, they would not die and give over to the next generation like the humans would, so the Plants now alive would not die too soon to be freed.  The humans were so short-lived.  Vash and Knives were around a century-and-a-half old, and they looked no older than humans in their early twenties.

He found himself on the northwestern edge of town, suddenly exhausted, though he wasn't sure why.  Perhaps it had been the burst of psychic energy he had let loose back in Lex's room finally catching up to him.  He had never used energy like that in this life, only giving out little bits of it to help flowers grow in the sand.

"Flowers…pah," he muttered.  Lex's idea of making Gunsmoke green was stupid.  No one human could do that, even with Legato's power as it had been in his previous life:  intense and trained to the point of pinpoint accuracy in whatever he used it for.  The Plants could make Gunsmoke a healthy planet so much better, once they were released from their chains, of course.

He glanced around for a place to sleep for the night.  He wasn't counting on finding anyplace comfortable, he just wanted to find a place that was suitable.  He realized he was standing next to a small stable for thomases, those weird bird-creatures that served the same purpose as horses back on Earth.  He went inside.  It smelled like it had just been cleaned out, which he was thankful for.  An unkempt thomas stable could burn your olfactory nerves clean off.  Only three of the six stalls were occupied, so he chose an empty one at the back, and curled up on the straw.  He was asleep in minutes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"WRONK!"

Legato jerked awake.  The thomas in the stall next to him had just bellowed loudly.  He sat up, brushed the straw out of his hair, and looked to see what was the matter.

Two of the thomases in adjacent stalls were nipping at each other over the short wall that separated them.  Legato saw no reason for them to be doing it, but ignored them.  There was no point in trying to figure out the curious actions animals tended to partake in.  It was impossible for humans to fully understand them, anyway.

Legato peeked over the wall of the stall he was in to the rest of the stable.  No one was in there except him and the thomases, so he stood up, brushed the straw off his clothes, and exited the stable onto a back street, no other humans in sight.  A quick glance to a large outdoor clock told him it was fifteen minutes before eleven o'clock in the morning.  He had slept late.

His stomach growled faintly.  He was hungry, but didn't have much of an appetite right now, surprising himself.  In his previous life, Legato had always had quite a large appetite, but he never seemed to gain any weight from what he ate, which generally wasn't the most slimming foods you could find.  His only guess on what caused his large appetite and the absence of weight gain was that psychic powers took a lot of physical energy for a human to harbor and use.

He looked out over the desert.  The crashed Seeds ship that housed the two Plants that powered Avril was about a mile from the town.  Several thick power cables were strung from the ship to the large building not too far from Legato's current position that gathered the Plants' energy and sent it out over town.  The reason the town was so far away from the ship was to prevent any damage to the town should something go wrong with the Plants or the ship itself.  The Plants may overload for some reason, the ship may finally give way and topple over, or something like that.  The builders of Avril were a little smarter than the builders of other towns, Legato admitted to himself.  Some towns were built right around the Seeds ship that powered them, and were subject to destruction if something went wrong.

"I should go see you," Legato muttered, as if addressing the Plants inside the ship.  "Perhaps you will give me advice on what to do."  He was just about to begin walking in that direction when—

"Alexander!" a young woman's voice called from a little behind him.  Legato turned and saw the girl Lex called his girlfriend running down the street toward him.  She seemed upset.  She had always called Lex by his nickname, unless she was upset or she wanted to tease him.  His teeth clenched.  He didn't want her or any other human coming near him.

"Cal, don't!" a second, hated voice called out, and Legato realized that Vash and Knives were running up behind her.  Vash got to her first and grabbed her by the shoulders, holding her back.  "Be careful.  He might lash out."

"How wise of you, Vash the Stampede," Legato growled, his eyes flashing.  "I'll kill her if she takes one more step near me."  If only it was so easy to kill the twins, too.

"Legato," Knives said, catching up to his brother and the girl, passing them and approaching the young man.  "Stop what you're doing.  Whatever you are doing right now, stop it.  You need to come back to us.  I _know_ Lex O'Sé is still in there with you, somewhere.  He _can't_ have been wiped out so suddenly like you're implying."

"Stay away from me," Legato hissed.  "Lex is dead, and I welcome his demise.  He was never real in the first place.  This is the real me, and nothing you can do or say will bring that boy back.  He was a mindless, soulless, delusional version of me as a naïve, idiotic boy, not even having an afterlife to speak of.  He is gone beyond all recovery, disappeared from existence."  He smirked at the stifled sob of despair he heard come from Cal.

"No, Legato," Knives said, his cobalt eyes burning into Legato's, still proceeding toward the young man.  "Lex is still inside you, and _he_ is the real you, not this murderous madman I now face.  How you turned out in your previous life was a mistake, a mistake committed by no one else but me.  You have a second chance to live a normal life, even to help your fellow humans with your gift of bringing plants to life on this harsh desert world.  Don't throw that away with this ungrounded prejudice that I spoon-fed you as a child."

"Never!" Legato spat.  "You had the right idea.  You knew the truth, that humans must die and Plants must rule!  You showed me that truth, and I will never waver, never let it go.  You, my teacher, my master, my _god_, threw that truth away, and now you want me to do the same?!  Ha!  I will not sink so low."

"I was never a god, Legato," Knives said, his voice sounding strained with suppressed anger both at himself and at the young man.  "I was stupid to think I could act as one!  I am doing all I can to make up for that, and one thing I can do is reinstate the real you.  This madness that now grips you never should have come to be!  I will stop at nothing to right this wrong I so blindly inflicted upon you.  It would have been better if I had left you to die on the streets, starving to death!  You would have suffered greatly in your last days, but you would have stayed an innocent—"

"Shut up!" Legato interrupted, his eyes blazing.  "I don't have to take this tripe anymore!"  He spun around and was just about to run off toward the Seeds ship, when something slammed heavily into his chest from above, knocking him down hard on the solid ground.  He opened his eyes to see what had hit him.

He froze.

Knives and Vash gasped.

Cal screamed.

Sitting on his chest was something that looked like it came out of a mad scientist's lab.  It was best described as a winged cat-lizard with a long neck, hand-like front feet, and a humanlike face.  Its skin was a sickly orange-red, and it was grinning at him with several pointy, yellow teeth.  It was about twice as big as a normal housecat.

"What the devil…?" Legato managed to grind out.  The thing's weight on his chest made it hard to breathe.  Without warning, he suddenly lashed out at it psychically, flinging it off his chest and twisting its head around so its neck snapped audibly.  He got up shakily, looking down at the thing with horrified disgust.  For the moment, he didn't notice that Knives was cautiously making his way forward to get a better look at the thing, or that Vash and Cal were also creeping closer.

"It's an imp," he whispered hoarsely.

"A what?" Knives asked, taking in Legato's shaken demeanor.

"A low-level demon," Legato replied.  "They love tormenting damned souls in Hell, and they act as Satan's gofers."  He closed his eyes against the mental images rising unbidden to his mind's eye.  His memories of Hell had come back as clearly as his memories of his previous life.  He had suffered unspeakable tortures at the hands of imps like these.

"Come with us, Human," a high-pitched, scratchy voice said from above.  "Our master wants to speak with you about making you one of his chief servants."

"What?!" Legato exploded, looking up furiously.  He ignored Cal's scream and the curses from the twins at the sight.  All along the tops of the houses around them were dozens of imps like the one that lay dead at Legato's feet.  A quick glance down told Legato that it was actually not there anymore.  It must have disappeared back to Hell.  "I'll never serve the Devil!" Legato continued, seething with rage.  "He's no better than _them_!"  With the last word, he jabbed a spiteful finger at Vash, Knives, and Cal.

"Oh, but our master wishes dearly for you to be in his service," the imps' apparent spokesman said, its tone unchanging from that gleefully malicious twitter.

"Gee, that's a pity," Legato hissed, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, then," the imp said, and it and all the others spread their ugly wings, "if you won't _come_ with us, then we'll just have to _take_ you with us."  As if mentally connected, which they probably were, they all leapt to flight as one, diving downward toward their quarry.  Another scream came from the annoying human female, but as they neared their defiant target, yet another scream filled the air, much louder and very angry.

"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM, YOU FILTHY LITTLE SCUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Out of nowhere, in a flurry of white feathers and a flash of biting metal, another being entered the scene.  The imps had no time to react before half a dozen of them were sliced in half, their black blood and lifeless bodies falling to the street.  There, right in the imps' midst, was an angel, positively glowing with his white-hot rage, his Sacred Sword held in front of him, stained with the blood of the first victims in this fight.  His violet eyes were flashing brightly with his anger, and his slim body was shaking with a barely suppressed desire to rip the imps to little tiny pieces.  Though small, he was obviously a very dangerous opponent to the imps.

"If you want him, you take me on first," the angel seethed.

"Get back!" a second angel commanded, landing right in front of Knives and pushing him back, almost making him collide with Vash and Cal.  "Don't get in anyone's way!"

"Gyeeeeaaaaaaah!  Let go, you little vermin!" a sudden cry rang out.  The second, taller angel looked up toward his companion and gasped.  Several of the imps were swarming around the smaller angel, grabbing on tight and sinking their teeth and claws into him.  One imp was nothing to the angel, but so many of them working together to immobilize him was starting to overwhelm him.  The Sacred Sword fell to the ground with a clang, followed closely by the smaller angel, who fell screaming to the street, almost hidden in a writhing mass of biting, clawing imps.  Red blood was flowing quickly from his small body.

"Kamui!" the taller angel cried out, a sword suddenly appearing in his hands as he lunged toward his suffering companion.  His golden eyes flashed once, and the imps were suddenly thrown shrieking and spitting from Kamui's body.  Kamui staggered up to his feet.

"Fûma!  Don't worry about me!  Worry about—"  He looked over to Lex and choked.  "…Lex…" he finished, his voice barely a whisper.

All eyes turned toward the young man in question.  All the imps that hadn't attacked Kamui (and subsequently hadn't been killed by Fûma's counterstrike) were around Legato, who was swaying on his feet, his hand up to his face as if he felt dizzy.  A few were facing Vash, Knives, and Cal, apparently keeping them in place with a simple freezing trick that will break as soon as the imps put their minds to something else.

Legato groaned and fell to his hands and knees, his head hanging down as if it was too heavy for his neck to properly support.  The imps gathered closer together, and Legato suddenly cried out in intense pain.

Both Kamui and Fûma realized with a dropping feeling in their stomachs that Legato's soul was being forcibly drawn out of his still-living body.  If they succeeded, his body would fall into a deep coma.  Even if someone managed to wake his body up, all that would be there would be a soulless shell, incapable of any thought.  Conscious or unconscious, the body would die within a few days.

"No!" Kamui screamed, he and Fûma launching themselves toward Legato and his assailants.  A few imps broke away and threw themselves into the angels' faces, making them stop and have to fight them off.

Legato let out a high, tortured whine and suddenly fell completely limp to the ground.  A translucent, almost invisible form was slowly rising from his body.  His soul was very still, save for its upward motion out of his body.  Legato's soul's face was deadpan, but his eyes were a mixture of pain, fear, and a desperate plea for help.  He was exhausted in the struggle to stay in his body, and he could put up no resistance as all the surviving imps let out a shriek of triumph and latched onto him.

Vash, Knives, and Cal dropped to the ground as the spell holding them in place broke.

"_Noooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_" Kamui howled, throwing himself toward his near-son and his captors, desperately trying to grab hold of the soul as well.  Fûma wasn't so quick, as the imp that had attacked him was harder to pry off than the one that had attacked Kamui.

The imps and their prisoner disappeared just as Kamui's small hand closed over Legato's nearly transparent wrist.

Kamui fell to his hands and knees, screaming wordlessly.  He had been so close, so close…there was only one option.  Kamui sat back on the ground, ignoring the fact that Fûma was coming slowly up behind him, weary of upsetting his smaller Twin Star any more.  The small angel wrapped his arms around himself and folded his wings against his slender back.  His almost childlike form began to glow with a faint, white light.

Fûma didn't realize what Kamui was doing until the light flared up to almost blinding intensity.  "No!  Kamui, _don't_!" he cried, leaping forward and trying to get a hold of Kamui, much like Kamui had tried with Legato's soul.

It was too late.  Fûma fell to his knees where Kamui had been a second before, his golden eyes wide with disbelief.

"Oh, Kamui, no…you didn't…" he whispered.

Legato Bluesummers had been abducted to the depths of Hell, and Kamui had followed.

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  Jeez.  I didn't think what I had in mind for this chapter would be very long, and this chapter's longer than all of the others, I think.  Did you all like it?  This story's nearing it's end, and I hope I'm keeping you all in suspense as to what will happen.  Expect all the Dragons, both Sky and Land, to make appearances in the next chapter.  Some of you know a little of what I have in mind, but please don't tell anyone else.  Hee hee…chapter eight is certainly going to be interesting.  Let me know how you all like the story so far in a review or an email to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!


	8. To Hell and Back

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Akuma no Hôfuku 

By Annie-chan

Chapter Eight:  To Hell and Back 

Fûma was completely still for a full minute, just staring at the ground under him.  Yes, Kamui was one of the most capricious angels in God's service, but he never intentionally broke any rules.  Not until now, anyway.  God had made it well-known to His angels that it was not allowed to go down into Hell and interfere with it's goings-on unless given a direct order to do so, such as when Fûma retrieved Legato's spirit from there to be reborn almost twenty years ago.  Kamui had just made a conscious decision and deliberate action, both of which broke a very prominent rule God had established for His angels to follow.

_Oh, Kamui_, he thought sadly.  _You are going to be in so much trouble when we get back home._  He sat there for another ten seconds, then made his own decision.  He stood up quickly, suddenly very determined.  _If you're getting your skinny little self into trouble like this, then I'm going to share that blame with you.  I won't let you stand alone in this._

"Um…Sir…?" a voice said from his left.  He looked over, slightly surprised.  He had almost forgotten the human and two Plants that were with him in the street.  The human female was speaking.  The two Plants were still on the ground, one talking softly to the other.  The one with the green eyes and bright blond hair seemed to be trying to calm the one with the blue eyes and pale blond hair, who looked both frightened and angry.  Perhaps he knew the boy, and was afraid for his safety.  Fûma didn't know their names.  It was Kamui who dealt with these people, not him.

"Yes?" Fûma responded.  "I need to go after them, so please make this quick."

"Um…what happened…?" the girl ventured.

"In a nutshell, Lex—or Legato, whichever you wish to call him—has been abducted to Hell by those creatures, and Kamui went after them to get him back.  I've just decided to follow.  Do you know the story behind the man you call your boyfriend?"

"Yes," Cal replied.  "I was told just this morning.  His parents know, too."  She suddenly ran up to Fûma and clutched at his sleeve, her eyes pleading.  "Please!  Bring him back to us!  I love him!  I won't be able to live if I know he's down in…that place!"  Her lower jaw was trembling, and she looked very scared.

_I would be, too, if I knew that the person I loved was in danger of becoming a permanent resident of Hell_, Fûma thought.  He removed her hand from his sleeve and gripped her shoulders.  "Just stay calm, young lady," he told her.  "We will bring your lover back to you.  I promise."  He looked over to the twins, who were just standing up.  "Take his body back home, and lay him in bed.  He is in a deep coma right now, and he needs to be somewhere he won't be harmed."  Without waiting for their reply—he had already wasted enough time with them—he disappeared, seeking out the familiar life-force of his Twin Star, his brother-in-all-but-blood.  He only hoped that the brash angel hadn't caused any irreversible damage in his frenzy to rescue his near-son.  There was a balance of good and evil in the Universe, and, considering Kamui's luck and track record, the smaller of the Dragon leaders ran a high risk of endangering that balance by barging into Hell and wreaking havoc just for the well-being of one soul.  He needed someone with him to keep him reigned in.

Vash, Knives, and Cal stared at the spot where Fûma had just disappeared from, still stunned and bewildered at what had just happened in the space of less than ten minutes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kamui found himself staring at the gates of Hell not fifty feet from where he was standing.  He had never been here before, but there was no mistaking them.  Where else could you find a cave entrance that reeked of rotting flesh and belched fire every few minutes?  The stories humans told that described the gates of Hell (for whatever reason) were surprisingly accurate.  There was no time to wonder how they were so accurate now, though.

He noticed there was no one at the cave entrance.  No guards, no gatekeeper, nothing.  The gates of Heaven had Saint Peter and however many angels happened to be there (for varying reasons), but there was no one here.  That wasn't too hard to figure out.  They probably had someone not too far inside keeping anyone from getting out, but who in their right mind would want to get in, and therefore gave need for someone to stand guard?  Kamui, that's who.

_I'm not going to be able to do this on my own_, he thought, weighing the possibilities.  He had no doubt that Lex/Legato had been taken pretty far into Hell—it stood to reason that Satan's headquarters be at or near the center of the accursed place—and he would have one hell of a time getting there, no pun intended.  By himself, he stood a good chance of being struck down before he even got there, and sent wounded and incapacitated (again) back to Heaven.  Then, who knows how long it would take to recover?  He doubted God would personally heal him a second time, especially since he was doing an even dumber thing this time around.  He had been warned, and was once again taking what was probably the stupidest route possible to reach his goal.  Then again, this was most likely the _only_ route possible, stupid or not.  He had to at least give it a try, but he needed help.

He put his hands together in a praying gesture, and sent his consciousness out to six other angels, summoning them to his side, as he did whenever he needed their help.  _Sky Dragons!_ he called mentally to them.  _Come to me!_

In less than five seconds, six other angels appeared by his side.  Subaru, Arashi, Sorata, Yuzuriha, Seiichirô, and Karen could pinpoint their leader's position in a split second, and always came to his side when he called for their help.  He rarely did so, preferring not to depend on them too much, so they knew it was urgent as soon as they received his mental plea.

They, however, were not very eager to go through with whatever he had planned for them when they realized where they were.

"Kamui!" Subaru, Arashi, Sorata, Seiichirô, and Karen immediately yelled at him, while Yuzuriha gave out a little squeak of dread, Inuki keeping very close to his mistress.  None of the seven Sky Dragons had ever been here, and none of them ever intended to come here.  They were responsible for helping humans in the Material Plane, for pity's sake, not staging a mini-invasion of Hell itself!

"Kamui!" Subaru said again, grabbing Kamui by his narrow shoulders.  Subaru was the Sky Dragon closest to Kamui's heart, discounting Kotori, a Dreamseer for the Sky Dragons.  Subaru was like an older brother to Kamui, much like Fûma was.  "Why did you bring us here?  You know we're not allowed to enter Hell without permission!  You're breaking one of the biggest rules in the book!"

"I know that," Kamui said quietly.

"We could refuse to help you do this, you know," Subaru continued, quieter this time.  "You are our leader, but we don't have to take any orders from you we don't want to.  We could abandon you right here, if we so choose."

"I know that, too," Kamui said.  "But, I need your help.  I need to do something that's very important to me, but I can't do it by myself."  He looked around, looking each of them in the eyes.  "Please, help me!  I won't be able to rest if this remains undone!  I'll take all the blame, I swear!  You won't be held responsible!  In God's name, I'm begging you!"  His eyes were shining desperately, and the other six Sky Dragons got the impression that he was about to drop to his knees and grovel.

Subaru looked around to each of the others.  Yes, they could refuse any order that Kamui gave them, unless he was relaying an order from God, and it was probably in their best interests to do just that, but their diminutive leader was dear to each of them in varying ways, and they couldn't leave him at a time like this.  Subaru saw acceptance in each of their eyes—mixed with no little apprehension—and gave their answer.

"All right, Kamui.  We will help you."

Kamui looked up to Subaru, immeasurable relief in his eyes.  "You will?!  Oh, thank you!  Thank you!"

"Kamui!" a voice shouted, and Fûma was suddenly standing in their midst.  He looked around, acknowledged the other Dragons' presence with a quick nod, then looked directly into Kamui's eyes.  "You have my assistance, as well.  I can't let my Twin Star get himself in trouble like this without at least sharing the burden."

"Thank you, Fûma," Kamui said quietly, gratefulness in his violet eyes.  "Can you call the Land Dragons here?  They have all been to Hell before, and can give the Sky Dragons a hand."

"Of course I will," Fûma said.  The Land Dragons were some of the few angels that were willing to go into Hell for one reason or another, and they had all been there at least once in the centuries they had served as angels.  Fûma put his hands together, much like Kamui had, and called.  _Land Dragons!  I summon you!_

It wasn't long before Seishirô, Kakyô, Nataku, Yûto, Satsuki, and Kusanagi had joined the little gathering outside the gates of Hell.  They, too, were nervous about being summoned to this place, for they had received no order to come here.  They, too, were reluctant to follow their leader into Hell.  However, after a little convincing and Fûma's insistence that he and Kamui intended to take full responsibility for this, they agreed.

They paired up.  Subaru with Seishirô, Yuzuriha with Kusanagi, Karen with Nataku, Seiichirô with Kakyô, Arashi with Satsuki, Sorata with Yûto, and Kamui with Fûma.  Fighting alone was risky, plus the Land Dragons could keep an eye on their Sky Dragon partners, who had never entered Hell before.

Kamui entered first, Fûma at his heels, screaming a battle cry.  He felt a surge of satisfaction when the demons near the entrance panicked and fled, but knew that they would soon meet up with resistance.  It was a resistance that they may never hope to break through.  After all, what were fourteen angels against the legions of Hell?  The battle wouldn't be very even-sided, that was for sure.

_God, help us_, Kamui prayed, then plunged into the wall of demons that had appeared with astonishing haste to attack the attackers.  He brought his hands together, and his Sacred Sword suddenly appeared.  He brought it up in a sweeping arc, gutting the first demon to come within range of him.  He never stopped moving, hacking, slashing, stabbing…a sword in his hands was like an extension of his own body, and he handled the Sacred Sword with deadly efficiency.  He slowly but surely began carving a path through his opponents, all the while searching desperately for Lex's/Legato's presence.  He needed to know where to head for, damn it!  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fûma fighting in much the same fashion.  These were relatively low-level demons, and they were pretty much relying on their numbers to hinder the angels' progress.

Kamui suddenly felt something land behind him and seize hold of him, sinking its claws into his flesh.  He screamed, and the assailant was suddenly ripped off him and flung away.  He whirled around and beheld his Twin Star grinning at him.

"Really, Kamui, how many times do I have to save you?" Fûma chided.

"Har, har," Kamui replied.  Just then, something dinged in his head.  He had found him!  "Come on!" he cried to Fûma, and, without waiting for an answer, took off in the direction he could feel his near-son's presence in, and crashed through a weak point in the line of defense.

Both he and Fûma had mental links to each of their teammates.  As he battled through the seeming endless line of demons, Kamui kept half his mind on his companions.  He was the one who dragged them down here; he should at least see how they were doing.  Fûma did the same with the Land Dragons.

Subaru and Seishirô were in the center of a storm of black and white ofuda.  The strips of magic paper were in endless supply to the two sorcerers, and they were beating back the demons attacking them with grim efficiency.  The stronger the demons that came at them, the stronger the counter-spells they threw out.  The ofuda whirled and danced around them, obeying every slight command the two angels sent out to them.  Half of them turned into Bird Spirits, attacking like a scene out of Alfred Hitchcock's famous movie.  After centuries of perfecting, their duel strategy was all but flawless.  The only thing they feared was an opponent that was too strong for them to stand up to.

Yuzuriha and Kusanagi were taking an entirely different strategy.  Yuzuriha was depending a lot on Inuki, as he was her principal weapon, and they provided the offense while Kusanagi provided the defense.  Inuki was literally Yuzuriha's sword and shield, and the shape-shifting Dog Spirit was perfectly in tune with his mistress.  They were, of course, mentally connected.  After all, Inuki was an extension of Yuzuriha's soul and power, so they were one and the same, not just a girl and her dog, if you wanted to get technical.  Kusanagi, with his superb speed and strength, covered the little swordfighter's back, fighting off any that Yuzuriha hadn't the opportunity to counter, which was about half the demons coming at them.

Karen and Nataku were using an attack method a little simpler than a shape-shifting spirit animal.  Karen was cooking up a firestorm, herself at the center, and roasting any demon dumb enough to come near her.  Yes, it was rather hot in Hell anyway, but the demons never got directly into the fires that burned constantly.  Not to mention that the terrible heat from Karen's attack hurt them even more than if they had fallen into one of the many fire pits, due to the fact that it was backed up with a good dose of holy power.  Nataku had let the large, razor-edged ribbon he used as his weapon to catch fire by letting the swirling flames catch hold of it and ignite it.  He then lashed the super-long strip of cloth out in front of him, slashing, beating, and burning.  It was amusing to think that the demons they were fighting against thought they were used to fire.

Seiichirô and Kakyô were fighting with very different tactics from each other.  However, the way they were executing their attacks fit together quite well.  Seiichirô was using his power over wind as his weapon, as usual, and demons were flying left and right as he lifted them up with the windstorm and flung them far and wide.  He also sent out numerous Wind Knives, slashing and cutting at the demons as effectively as any sword.  Kakyô, on the other hand, was messing with the demons' minds.  He was not only a Dragon but also a Dreamseer, meaning his mental powers were incredible.  He could not only walk through dreams, but could manipulate how people saw things while they were awake, a talent he had only discovered late in the conflict in 1999.  He was driving the demons into confusion, making Seiichirô's attacks on them easier than shooting fish in a barrel, as the humans say.

Arashi and Satsuki were fighting basically by themselves, their only concerted effort being watching each other's backs.  Arashi was fighting much the same as Kamui and Fûma, relying heavily on her sword to get her through.  The demons had been quite surprised when the seemingly unarmed angel suddenly stretched her left arm out, the next thing that happened being an intricately-decorated katana suddenly emerging from the palm of her hand, point first.  Satsuki, on the other hand, attacked many demons at once with her rather unique tactic.  In life, she had oftentimes manipulated the underground cables of Tokyo, using them as her weapons, with the help of the huge computer known as the Beast.  Now, she could conjure up forests of computer cables out of thin air, and was wreaking havoc among the demons that found themselves within her attack range.

Sorata and Yûto, masters of lightning and water respectively, were just perfect together.  Yûto had created a huge waterspout and given it arms.  The spinning motion of the waterspout caused the shapeless arms to whirl around as well, unsurprisingly, and the demons within range were being swatted this way and that.  The demons that got caught up in the actual body of the waterspout were less fortunate.  Sorata was in the center right next to Yûto, his electric bursts mixing with the water, and their power was multiplied at least tenfold.  The reinforced electricity was devastating to anything it touched, cooking the demons from the inside out.  Every once in a while, a thread of electricity would reach out into one of the waterspout's arms and gotten a demon or two that thought they out of range for electrocution.

_You are doing well_, Kamui thought, as if addressing the other Dragons.  _These demons aren't very smart, so they'll fall for your tactics easily.  But, don't get too confident.  It won't be long before the smarter and more powerful demons come at us.  We will be in grave danger when they do._

When they got past a certain point and started descending into the deepest part of Hell, Kamui's unhappy prediction came true with startling quickness.  First, Seiichirô fell prey to a back attack, a sneaky demon that got past both his and Kakyô's defenses.  Then, Nataku fell.  Then, Sorata…Kakyô…Kusanagi…Arashi…Yuzuriha…Karen…Seishirô…Subaru…Yûto…finally, Satsuki…all of them either found themselves victims to nasty sneak attacks, or overwhelmed and defeated by sheer numbers.  As each became too weak to fight, they disappeared back to Heaven, as angels and demons technically cannot die, they just become incapacitated for however long it takes for their injuries to heal.  Kamui and Fûma found themselves alone, and they were not faring much better.

Kamui was beaten and bruised, with a large slash across his chest and upper abdomen.  It hurt terribly, and he was finding it harder and harder to stay up to pace with the demons he was fighting.  Fûma had more cuts and abrasions, though they each were smaller than the gash on Kamui.  He was losing blood quickly, though, and was tiring fast.

Both were losing hope, due to the quick dispatch of all their twelve companions, as well as feeling as if they would collapse before they could fight off another opponent, when the demons around them suddenly shrieked and retreated.  Kamui fell to his knees and Fûma leaned heavily on his sword, and it was a few seconds before they figured out why the demons had suddenly left them alone.  Kamui realized that they were near a large door, and that his near-son's presence was just on the other side of that door.  He wasn't alone.  The unmistakable feel of the Prince of Darkness was also there.  The demons had probably been ordered not to come too near this place, and had retreated out of fear of the Devil's punishment, which would be worse than being defeated by the invading angels, no matter how brutal that defeat would be.

"Fûma," Kamui gasped, hauling himself to his feet.  "Lex is in there…we have to save him…"

"No, Kamui," Fûma almost pleaded, grabbing hold of Kamui's bloodied wing and holding him back.  "Rest now…please…they won't attack us here…"

Kamui pulled away and staggered toward the door, making a valiant effort to steady his steps.  He reached the large stone slab, and leaned his forehead against it, his breathing deep and slow as he tried to bring it and his heartbeat under control.

"Our best chance," he breathed to Fûma, who was coming slowly up behind him, "is to somehow steal Lex's soul; restrain him so he can't fight back, as he hates us as much as he hates humans; return to the Material Plane; reinstate the soul into the body; and reblock his memories of his past life and of Hell.  He'll have a big blank spot of what happened while his past-life memories were released, but we'll deal with that later."  He saw no doorknob, and guessed correctly that this door was opened by a thought from the Devil.  He managed to transfer some of his energy to the blade of his sword without exhausting himself more than he already was.  He drew back and drove the blade with all his might into the thick stone, and dragged the sword in the shape of a rough square, attempting to cut a hole in the door.

He stopped after two sides of the hole were cut, and collapsed to the floor to rest for a moment and gather more energy.  What he wasn't counting on was Fûma stepping up and finishing the job with his own sword.  The large piece of stone fell inward, leaving the two angels with a good-sized hole to climb through.

"What's this?!" an ugly voice bellowed from inside.  Apparently, the Devil was right on the other side of the door, not down some hallway like Kamui and Fûma half-expected him to be.  Kamui quickly slipped through the hole, Fûma right behind him.  What he saw turned his blood cold.

Lex—or Legato, as he looked exactly like he did in his previous life now—was on the floor in a corner, beaten and tortured.  He was naked, and covered with every type of flesh wound imaginable.  The Devil had been torturing him, trying to get him to consent to become a demon rather high up on the demon hierarchy.  He had immense power and enormous potential, and the Devil knew that perfectly well.  With the right kind of training and discipline, Legato could very well become one of Satan's most valuable servants.

However, Legato was refusing.  He had no more desire to serve the Devil than to accept humans as worthy to live, and was immovable in his decision to reject the Devil's offer of eternal power.  He didn't want power, he wanted to destroy the humans.  Satan had said that he could destroy the humans if he joined his cause, but Legato didn't accept that.  He didn't want to help Satan take over the world, he wanted to free the Plants and give them their Eden.  So, the Devil had changed his tactics from bargaining to torture, and Legato was now horribly wounded and tremendously weakened.  However, he was still immovable, and Satan was getting impatient.  The sudden arrival of two uninvited guests just fueled his anger.

Kamui stared at his near-son, anger of his own bubbling up quickly to boiling levels.  He slowly turned his gaze to the Devil, who was advancing slowly on them, hate and disgust flashing through his violet eyes.  To think that this was once Lucifer, the Angel of Light, the highest angel in God's service.  His rebellion against God had landed him in Hell as the most evil being in existence, and it was an unforgivable offense.  But, now, Kamui hated him all the more for his personal torment of the human Kamui cared most about, and his small body was shaking visibly.  Some of it was out of fatigue, but most was pure rage surging through his body.

_I can't fight him though_, Kamui thought regretfully.  He would love to give this creature a good beating, but he didn't have the power to do it, plus he was very tired as it was.  So, without warning, Kamui suddenly launched himself forward and attempted to pass the Devil and get to Legato.

His right wing was grabbed, and he felt himself yanked backwards.  The Devil had managed to lay hold of his wingtip, and Kamui found himself forced to his knees, the Devil behind him, twisting his right wing cruelly.  Kamui wailed pitifully and tried desperately to free himself.  An angel's wings were more sensitive than other parts of their body, and the pain was excruciating.  He felt the bone snap and the flesh tear, and tears burst forth and flowed down his cheeks in streams.  He could barely understand himself as he pleaded for mercy.

Fûma, filled with an undeniable fury as he witnessed his Twin Star tormented so, he gathered what little energy he had left and sprang forward.  Without thinking, he snatched up Kamui's dropped sword from the ground right beside the Devil, drew them back to stab, and thrust them forward with all his strength, spearing the Devil in the back, roughly through each shoulder blade.  He drove the swords up to their hilts, then jerked them upward, slashing up and out of the Devil's body through his shoulders.

Satan roared and dropped the suffering Kamui, who immediately began to crawl away in hopes of escaping being grabbed again, possibly having the other wing mutilated like the first one had been.  He crawled toward Legato, who seemed to be too weak to avoid the small angel.

Fûma, on the other hand, was dancing around the medium-sized room, both swords still in hand, trying more to avoid the Devil's attacks than land any of his own.  He had already been exhausted, and his movements were almost those of a drunken man.  He more threw himself in a direction than jumped, and staying on his feet was only pure luck.  He kept at this until he heard a cry from Legato off to his left.

"Get off me!" Legato growled, though he was too weak to even throw the dog-tired Kamui off him.  Kamui had his arms around his near-son, and began glowing the soft white that indicated he was about to teleport into the black space that existed between the Material Plane, Heaven, and Hell.  Fûma staggered over, just missing another attempt to catch him.  He collapsed next to Kamui and Legato, and wrapped his arms around both of them, adding his own pathetically lowered energy to the teleportation spell.  They disappeared just as the Devil got to them, and Fûma had the fleeting sensation of two clawed hands closing around his neck.

He opened his eyes and felt enormous relief to see that they were surrounded by blessed darkness.  No one could hurt them here.  This place was inaccessible from Hell, except for angels that are there for one reason or another.  No demon could follow them here, not even Satan himself.

"Let go of me," Legato, who was fast fading into unconsciousness, murmured, his tone almost pleading.

"Shh," Kamui soothed, though he looked himself like he was about to faint.  He brushed his fingers through his near-son's bloodied hair and touched the part of the human's awareness that immediately sent him into a deep sleep.  "It will be over soon, Lex, I promise."

The two wounded angels huddled together, cradling the fragility known as the human soul between them, and waited to once again exit this black space onto the Material Plane.

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  Yeesh…my poor fingers.  I typed this in one straight shot, with a short break in the middle for dinner, so my fingers feel like they're gonna fall off!  You guys better be happy with this new chapter!  Especially you, Katie!  Oh, and as for Kakyô's fighting skill…er, I kinda made it up.  As far as the _X_ manga has gone, we haven't seen Kakyô use any kind of skill beyond his Dreamseeing abilities.  So, don't you _X_ readers get angry if I turn out to be completely wrong when CLAMP decides to give him a talent other than walking through the Dream World.  Anyway, please tell me what you think of this chapter either in a review or at mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!  I think there'll only be one chapter more, _maybe_ two, so the story is almost finished.


	9. Peace Once Again

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Akuma no Hôfuku By Annie-chan Chapter Nine:  Peace Once Again 

The room was dark.  Lex's body lay deathly still on the bed, it's breathing and heartbeat almost undetectable.  His soul ripped out, Lex had only a matter of time until his body died, barring his return to the world he had been forcefully taken from.  His skin was paper-white, and one would almost think he had indeed died.

Cal sat on the bed, his cold, limp hand clutched in hers.  His parents were in chairs by the side of the bed, watching to see if their son made any move at all.  Vash was seated in a chair against the wall opposite the bed.  Knives stood beside him, staring out the hole that had been the window, apparently not focusing on anything in particular.  All were silent.

Earlier that day, the twins and Cal had taken Lex's body back home, still shocked at what they had just witnessed in the back street.  The bodies of the imps had disappeared, and the only physical evidence that what they had seen had indeed happened was Lex's soulless, lifeless body

His parents had thought him dead.  The knowledge that he was alive was welcome news, but hearing that their son's soul had been stolen and spirited off to Satan himself just made their apprehension worse.  They would have rather seen him dead than dragged down to Hell by Satan's flunkies.

Barely ten words had been uttered between the five since the body had been laid into the bed.  Words stuck in their throat, and nothing seemed adequate to fill the space caused by a dread this oppressive.

The room suddenly lit up in a blinding flash of white-yellow light.  Everyone turned automatically toward the disturbance, but immediately shielded their eyes from the blinding radiance.

A soft groan was heard, followed by the sound of two people hitting the floor hard.  The light began to fade, and the glare seemed to solidify into three humanlike shapes.  One, the smallest, was lying on its side on the ground.  A second was kneeling next to the first, though it looked very precariously situated, as if it would topple over as well any minute.  The third was more formless, though still humanoid.  It was lying very still in the kneeling being's arms.

The light faded completely, and the three humans and the two Plants were able to look at what had so suddenly arrived.

Kamui was lying on the ground, looking beaten within an inch of his life.  He was bleeding onto the floorboards from a large gash across his torso, and countless bruises, scrapes, and other injuries covered his slender body.  His right wing was so twisted and broken that it was hardly recognizable as a wing anymore.

Fûma, on the other hand, looked slightly better, though he looked about to keel over and just lie there like his smaller companion.  In his arms lay the faint yet almost shimmering object they had risked so much to rescue.  Lex's soul was draped across Fûma's arms and the floor like a piece of cloth.  He seemed almost deflated, as if someone had pulled the plug and drained him of any substance.

All who were sitting jumped up when they realized what and who had just entered the room.

Before they could do anything else, however, the taller angel stood up, wobbling slightly on his feet, his wings hanging limply from his back.

"Fûma…please…" Kamui whispered.  "Do it…I…I can't move…anymore…need…healing…unnnnnnnnngh…"  His halting words ended with a groan, and he seemed to become even more wilted against the floor.

Fûma stumbled over to the bedside, almost falling back to his knees, even though it was only three or so steps.  He held the soul above the body, the head above the head and the feet above the feet.  With that, he let it drop.  The soul fell slowly, as if made of thin gauze, and it melted into the body.

Breath.

A shutter.

A groan.

"You…you did it…!" Cal whispered, incredulous.  "You did it!"

"Not quite," Fûma said, still standing, though leaning over with his hands on the mattress.  "He needs something else…his soul must be bonded to his body once again."

"But…what…what is that…?" Cal asked, hesitant.

"Angel tears," Fûma replied.  "A powerful healing agent.  They can fix any ailment, physical or spiritual, but they must be given willingly, and falling directly from an angel's eyes.  There are other things that will do the trick, but only angel tears are available to us right now."  He looked purposely back at Kamui.  Tears of pure pain had been sliding down his face since they had escaped into the void between planes.

Kamui's eyes suddenly lit up with the same determination that had blazed in them when he first entered Hell, but they were now shining out from a body that could barely stay awake, much less drag itself over to the bed.

"Fûma…" he almost pleaded.  He was moving as if he wanted to stretch his arms out to his friend, but couldn't even lift them off the floor.  "Help me…please…"

Fûma seemed to hesitate a fraction of a second, but shook it off.  If he fell over when he picked Kamui up, then he fell over.  There were five healthy beings in the room.  They could help out.

Kamui, however, was very light when lifted off the floor, so different than when he was merely sleeping.  It was as if most of his weight had bled out.  Fûma picked him up easily, and gently laid him down on his side on the bed next to Lex, his head on the young man's chest.  Kamui, using the last of his physical strength, forced his hand to come up so he could hang on to Lex, though it was only a handful of his shirt.  He turned his head so his tears fell onto the thin shirt, immediately soaking though to the skin.

He lay like that for several minutes.  Fûma was sitting on the floor again, resting.  The humans and Plants in the room were watching Kamui and Lex very, very closely.

Kamui suddenly took a deep breath.  "That…should do it…" he whispered, and finally fainted dead away.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kamui awoke with a start.  He stiffened up and sucked in his breath as if something had shocked him awake.  As his eyes flew open, though, he realized he was back in Heaven.  The Lord's throne room, in fact.

"I see you are finally awake, Kamui," he heard the Lord say, and he turned his head to the left where He was sitting.  Kamui realized he was lying in Kotori's arms where she knelt on the floor.  All the other Dragons and Dreamseers were standing or kneeling around them.  Kamui and all the others had been healed, but Kamui still felt weak.  Considering the condition some of the others looked to be in, they still felt the after-effects of storming Hell as well.  Kamui seemed to be the worst, however.

"Lex…!" Kamui suddenly gasped.  "Is he—"

"He is fine, Kamui," the Lord replied.  "He is recovering from his ordeal.  His memories have been resealed, and he is again the Alexander you know and love."

"Thank goodness…" Kamui breathed, relief flooding though him.

"However, Kamui," the Lord continued.  "You have broken one of My most important rules.  You know very well that I have forbidden any angel to go into Hell without my leave, and even then, they must never do anything that I did not instruct them to.  You have committed a grave offense, Kamui."

"Yes, My Lord," Kamui replied quietly.  "I am to be punished, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are to be sufficiently chastised, Kamui.  The others, I will not punish.  They were acting out of their friendship to you.  It was aiding you that made them follow.  I will, however, warn them that I will not be so forgiving next time.  They were straddling the line between deserving to be punished and not deserving to be punished."

"My Lord," Fûma suddenly broke in.  "Please…I must be punished as well.  I claim as much responsibility for it as Kamui.  I was as at fault as him by agreeing to call the Land Dragons.  I must be given the same sentence as him.  It wouldn't be fair otherwise."

The Lord pondered this for a moment.  "I see you wish not to see Kamui be punished while you yourself get off with nothing more than physical injuries.  I understand your reasoning.  You do not want him to take all the blame for what you hold yourself responsible for as well.  Am I right?"

"Yes, My Lord," Fûma nodded.

"Very well, then," the Lord declared.  "I hereby strip both of you of your positions as heads of your respective groups until further notice.  For the time being, I leave the leadership to the Dreamseers."  He nodded toward Kotori, Hinoto, Kakyô, and Kanoe.

"Yes, My Lord," both Kamui and Fûma murmured.  They had expected something more substantial, but being relieved of their positions was terribly disgraceful.  It would be punishment enough.

"I warn you," the Lord said.  "I may not give you your positions back for decades, perhaps centuries."

"I understand, My Lord," Kamui replied.  Fûma nodded in agreement.

"Very well, then," the Lord said.  "You may all go and rest.  You have had a very trying time, I imagine."

The Dragons and Dreamseers bowed in respect, then disappeared to their various quarters.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

One year later…

"Are you sure, Lex?" Vash asked, walking alongside the young psychic.  "It will be a huge job.  Even with my and Knives' help, you'll be in for a lot of hard work."

"I know that," Lex replied.  Knives had just walked into the room.  Lex plopped the bag he was carrying down on the table.  Inside was a bunch more smaller bags.  They were sorted seeds of various kinds.  Grass, flowers or all kinds, and several kinds of trees.  Lex had been collecting them for a long while in anticipation of this day.  Today was the day he set out to make good on his promise to himself to help make Gunsmoke green.

"Our supply bags are packed," Knives said.  "We'll each be carrying one, and they're all about the same size."

"Okay, then," Lex said, flashing a grin.  "Are we all ready?"

Knives nodded.  "Yes, I believe so.  You should say goodbye to your parents and Cal."

A few minutes later found them in from of the house, facing the desert.  They were leaving in the evening, when the air was cooling down.

"Now, remember, Alexander Michael," Cal said, tapping him on the nose.  An engagement ring shone on her left ring finger.  "You better remember to come back in a year to marry me.  Then, you'll have to take me on these little excursions of yours, too."

"Yes, Cal, I'll remember," Lex said, a smile spreading across his face.  "You don't really think I'd miss coming back for you, do you?"  He put his arms around her, laid a kiss on her forehead, and squeezed her tightly.  "I'll be back before you know it, Sweetheart."

"Mm," Cal smiled.  They let go of each other, and Lex turned to Vash and Knives, who were waiting a few feet away.  They set off to the west into the sun.  About one hundred yards out, Lex turned back and saw his parents and his fiancée still watching them.  He raised his hand in farewell, watching as they returned the gesture.  He then turned back to the path, and walked toward his destiny.

Up in Heaven, a small angel with dark hair grinned as he looked in on his mortal charge.

Owari 

**Author's Notes:**  Well, that's that.  Story's finished.  Did you all like it?  I realize that the thing about angel tears being a powerful healing agent seems very close to the thing in _Harry Potter_ where phoenix tears is a powerful healing agent.  I had the idea for the angel tears before I even started reading the first _Harry Potter_ book, so I wasn't copying.  I thank all who reviewed, either now or in the future.  This story has been in progress for a while, and it took some bugging from Katie to write the last couple chapters.  High school is almost over for me, and I've been more focusing on that than writing fanfics.  Please let me know how you like the ending!  Or, if you haven't reviewed before, tell me how you like the whole story!  I'd really appreciate it!  Either leave a review or give me a buzz at mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!


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